Fair Maid
by Tinkirbell
Summary: “SHE IS A MAID SEVERUS SNAPE! AND YOU! YOU ARE A DUKE! SHE IS NOTHING! NOTHING!” “She is everything to ME!” sshg
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A/N: Hey everybody!!!! Lol...this is my second story...well...not exactly since I haven't finished writing the first one...it's called Alkalian...and I guess some of you are wondering why I'm going to start a new story...especially if school's starting...well...Alkalian was SUPPOSE to be in some way angst...but then these mean things to say keeps on popping up in my head...so now the story seems like a humor story...which wasn't what I was aiming for...so hopefully...this story will be more normal and less disses...

A woman with fiery red hair stared out the carriage window, listening to the rhythm of hooves and wheels against the uneven ground. Hundreds of trees passed by her view as she stared without interest into the forest that surrounded them on both sides.

She felt something small and warm touch her shoulder. Tearing her eyes away from the window, she looked down warmly at her son.

"Are we there yet?" He asked, with a hopeful voice.

She smiled, "No Harry...not yet...but soon..."

"Awww," he said, pouting, "But I want to see Grandpa Dumbledore now!"

His father raised an eyebrow at the young boy, "You mean KING Dumbledore."

"Grandpa gave me permission to call him that." Harry stated, feeling somehow superior.

Lady Lily laughed at the stubbornness of her son. "Go look after your sister Harry, and make sure she doesn't fall from the seat."

He nodded eagerly at being given such an important job. Turning to his left, he placed a small hand on his sister's stomach. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her, not when her big brother was here to protect her.

Leaning his head back, James gazed at his wife, his love, and his life. Her hair was up in an elegant twist, with curls cascading down, framing her beautiful face. Her gown was casual, light green with patterns of leaves sown around the edges, bringing out her dazzling azure eyes.

His mind wondered to their task ahead. They were on their way to the castle. The dark lord was gaining more power than ever. Dumbledore had already called for them just a week before to discuss ways of preventing invasion. It did seem odd for them to be called back so quickly.

Voldemort had many sources and spies within their kingdom. And lately, their letters had been tampered with or intercepted. Dumbledore came up with a code to be written at the end of each letter, incase any false information had been sent.

"James?" He looked up at the sound of his wife's melodious voice.

"Yes?"

"Countess Molly wrote to me yesterday, about the capture of a man named Warrenton, but she didn't specify." She looked at him questioningly.

He nodded in confirmation. "I believe he was captured in Greenhill. The Lord and Lady of Greenhill were...err...quite surprised to find that a deatheater has been lurking around right beneath their noses."

Lady Lily snorted in disbelief, "oh yes...Lord Malfoy must have been devastated."

He grimaced, "well...he did put up a very convincing show."

"Greenhill...isn't that the town we are going to pass through soon?"

James frowned, "I believe so."

"Wait just one second...why would Dumbledore tell us in his letter not to use our regular route and pass through this one?"

He shook his head. "I don't quite understand either."

"Do you still have it?" He nodded and pulled out a neatly folded parchment from his pocket.

Taking it from his hands, Lady Lily of Evanlake studied the writing for a few seconds and frowned. She ran her eyes through every line, looking for anything that might seem out of ordinary. She absent mindedly rubbed her fingers through the paper. Raising an eyebrow, she quickly rubbed again. The parchment felt coarse, and it seemed thicker than regular paper. Bringing it up to her nose, she sniffed it carefully. The aroma seemed familiar, but she just couldn't quite put her fingers on it.

James quickly leaned over to his wife and took the letter from her. "I don't see anything wrong."

"I'm not sure, there's just something about it that doesn't seem right."

He looked back down uncertainly. "Everything seems fine. Maybe you're just over worrying."

She sighed and rubbed her temples tiredly, "You're right."

Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but think back to that peculiar smell. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.

"Paren Wood!"

Lord James stared back at her inquiringly, "Care to elaborate?"

"That parchment, it's made out of Paren wood!" she frowned, "but Paren trees are only found in a small forest next to HaminVille."

James swore under his breath, "That's the town under the rule of Deatheaters! Which means, Dumbledore couldn't have send us that letter!"

"And Warrenton! He was spotted in GreenHill! He must have been waiting for us!"

Lord James punched his seat in frustration. He quickly leaned out the window and shouted at the driver to turn around.

Sir Remus, James's personal guard rode up from behind the carriage.

"Is there something wrong milord?"

"It's a trap Remus. We have to get out of here before it's too late."

The other man nodded in understanding and turned his horse around along with the carriage. They began galloping at full speed.

"Lily, hide the children incase we don't make it through. Voldemort is not going to give up so easily."

She pursed her lips in determination, "He is not going to lay a hand on my children!"

Harry, confused, looked up at his parents. At the gesture from his mother, he grabbed his younger sister and tried to stand up, stumbling from the constant bumping of the carriage wheel against the rocky ground.

Lily stood and lifted the carriage seat. Under the red leather, was an empty hidden compartment.

"Hurry and get in."

Harry looked at her, expecting an explanation. When nothing came, he gathered his baby sister and quietly got in.

"What ever happens Harry, you must protect your sister. It's very important. Do you understand?"

He nodded eagerly.

"Do not come out Harry, until your father and I come and get you, or uncle Remus, okay?" He smiled and nodded again.

She looked longingly at her son and hugged him tight. Lily placed a kiss on both of them before placing the seat back on. James took out his wand and muttered a few complicated protection spells.

The carriage suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Popping sound could be heard all around. They were surrounded.

Lady Lily looked up determinedly at her husband. She drew out her wand and opened the compartment door.

Outside of their hiding place, Harry could hear sounds of curses being thrown. It never occurred to him that it was the last time he would ever see his parents.

He touched his baby sister's face as she began to stir from her sleep. She opened her warm brown eyes and gave him a small smile as he whispered quietly into her ear. "I'm glad you're awake Hermione."

Both not knowing that the next person they will see, will be the mournful face of Sir Remus Lupin.

A/N: hhhmmm....should I stop there?...or go on...? Lol...I'm in a typing mood today...so here's the rest of chapter one.

(15 years later)

"Remus!" her voice was cracked and blood was dripping from her arms, "promise me to take the children somewhere else. Promise me! I don't want them to go through life with fear Remus. Take them away, hide them! Please!" Her eyes dropped slowly as she raised her arms in a last attempt to reach him, "Remus!"

Sir Remus Lupin woke up, his face dripping from sweat. "I will keep true to my words milady. They will never know of their identity, and live happily ever after."

(...)

"It's getting late Milady, we should find a place to stay for the night."

Countess McGonagall regarded her personal maid and nodded, "Which town are we going through now Hermione?"

"GriffinHill Milady. I believe we will meet many other lords and ladies on our way. I heard it was a very famous stop. They have the best cakes in the country."

"Cake?" came a very enthusiastic voice.

Hermione laughed, "Yes Hannah, cakes." The young girl almost squealed in excitement, but at the disapproving look from her lady, she suppressed herself.

"We will stop here for a rest as well then. Hermione, tell the driver." She quickly nodded and stuck her head out the compartment. A few seconds passed before she sat back down on her seat.

"He said there is a famous den he knows about. Many nobles spend the night there."

McGonagall nodded, then suddenly, she began to cough ceaselessly into her handkerchief.

Hermione and Hannah came immediately at her side.

"What's wrong milady?!" their voices full of concern.

She waved them away carelessly, "it's nothing."

Before they could press the matter further, the carriage came to a stop. The driver opened their compartment door and bowed.

Hermione and Hannah got out and each extended a hand to help the Countess down. Hermione turned to study her surroundings.

In front of them was the den. It had two levels and she had to admit, she was impressed. Fresh brown paint covered most of it, leaving the rim of the windows red.

People were going in and out through the handsomely shaped doors. Those that noticed the Countess bowed in respect.

Hermione doubted that any of them really knew who the elderly lady was. But from the way she was dressed and composed herself, it was obvious she was a noble.

They walked in through the door and Hannah headed towards the main desk to request rooms. Hermione took out a piece of cloth and wiped the seat before she helped her lady sit down.

Hannah came back with a triumphant look on her face.

"They said they only had one room left. But when I told them who we were...well...lets just say that another room seemed to have appeared out of no where."

Hermione chuckled, "inform them to prepare the rooms, and to bring our dinners upstairs."

Hannah nodded and walked back to the front desk. "Milady." Hermione said and she extended her arm.

Countess McGonagall smiled and they headed upstairs.

Hermione prepared the grand bed and poked around the room for anything suspicious that might harm her mistress. Satisfied, she got up and turned.

Someone knocked quietly on the door. Hermione walked across the room and opened a small gap. Peeking out, she spotted a servant with their food and stepped aside to let the young girl through.

She curtsied quickly to the countess before scurrying out. McGonagall raised her eyebrows, confused.

"Am I that frightening Hermione?"

Her face quirked into a smile as she began to place the food onto the table. "Of course not milady. She was probably just afraid to do something wrong and offend your ladyship."

The Countess nodded and sat down. She slowly brought her fork to her mouth, but before the chicken reached her lips, she began to cough again.

"Milady!" Hermione patted gently on her back to try and stop the coughing. She helped the Countess from her seat and into the bed.

Pulling the cover over her, she reached out and placed her palm gently on her mistress's forehead. The heat made her gasp and jerked back slightly.

"You have a fever milady. It must have been from all the travel." Her tone full of concern.

McGonagall smiled, "Guess I should have worn the extra scarf you told me to."

Before Hermione could reply, Hannah stepped into the room. Opening her mouth, as if to say something, she quickly shut it when she saw the countess in bed.

Hermione walked over and gave the girl orders to ask for a pail of water along with some towels. Nodding, Hannah strolled briskly out the room and shut the door quietly.

Hermione turned and curtsied, "I must go fetch the local healer milady, and Hannah will be back soon." She waited for the lady's nod of consent before she too left the room.

The den was running short of servants and Hermione had to go and find the healer by herself. By then, the sky was darkening, and people were slowly making their way back to their homes.

She looked down at the piece of parchment. "Okay...left then right...and then left again." She muttered to herself.

Walking as fast as she can, Hermione finally reached her destination. Pushing the door open, she rushed towards the table and grabbed the first person she saw.

"Quickly, tell me, where is Madame Simon?" The woman looked at her quizzically.

"You're looking for her?" she asked.

Hermione nodded her head quickly. The woman smiled, "well, you got her."

Grinning with relief, Hermione and started to explain her situation in rapid speed.

"So you are saying that the Countess McGonagall is in town?!...well...what are we waiting for?!"

Madame Simon, for such a small person, could certainly run fast. It didn't take long before Hermione couldn't see the healer anymore. She slowed down and began to breath deeply, still tired from her run to the infirmary.

Sounds of a carriage came from behind her, she quickly stepped aside and continued to rub her legs through her dress, trying to get some feeling into them. Suddenly, the sound of hooves stopped right next to her.

Looking up, she spotted a handsome young man with red hair step out of the compartment. He gave her an appreciative smile and studied her body.

Hermione back away, not liking the way he was staring at her chest. She was taken aback when he bowed to her, in his left hand, she saw a bottle of alcohol. He was drunk.

He smirked at her obvious discomfort, "Sir Ronald at your service milady." Her eyes widened and she quickly curtsied. He was a well know war hero.

"What is a pretty lady like you doing out on the streets at this time of night?" before she could answer him, he reached over and grabbed her arm, "what do you say to a hundred gallons?" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag. "But only if you'll warm my bed for me tonight beautiful."

Hermione gasped and tried to pull her arm from his grasp. When she saw that he wasn't about to let go, she used her spare hand to smack him hard across the cheeks.

Shock was evident on his face. He narrowed his eyes at her and growled. Pulling her towards him, he began to kiss and suck her neck.

Hermione was beyond frightened. She pushed as hard as she could against him, but he wouldn't budge.

"Don't be frightened my love, I promise you will enjoy this." He whispered, before his mouth descended down on hers.

He kissed her hard and bit her bottom lip until she was bleeding. Hermione opened her mouth to scream in pain, and that was all he needed. His tongue darted in as he began to explore.

Tears were running down Hermione's cheeks. She felt as if he was trying to choke her. She struggled, but her strength was nothing compared to his. She closed her eyes, wishing for him to stop.

Suddenly, he stopped. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked.

"If I were you, I would let her go, NOW!"

A/N: Okay people...to lazy to write anymore...if you want the next chapter...THEN SEND ME REVIEWS!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: hey! I already had this chapter written yesterday, but I wasn't going to post it until the middle of this week. However, I somehow managed to let slip to my friend that I was already done the second chapter and just being mean and refusing update. Let's just say she promised I wouldn't be breathing after she's done with me unless I post up the second chapter...so here it is! And if you want to thank anyone...thank Michelle!

Chapter Two

Hermione stumbled backwards as Sir Ron released her from his firm grip. Falling hard onto the ground, she looked up into the face of her savior. His messy brown hair was blown backwards by the wind, revealing the lighting bold scar embedded on his forehead. His forest green eyes were narrowed on the drunken knight. Tight-lipped, he managed to sneer unpleasantly before taking a step towards them.

Turning to Sir Ron, she could see beads of sweat forming down his hair lines. His brown eyes darted quickly from left to right, searching for ways of escape. With shaking hands, she watched in daze as he slowly bend his fingers towards his palm, trying to reach the wand that was hidden up his sleeve.

Hermione's eyes went wide. Sir Ronald Weasley was known for his ability to duel. She can't let him get to his only weapon. With a loud scream, she launched herself at the panicky man, pinning him down to the ground.

He stared up at her in shock as she made a frantic grab for his wand and pressed it roughly at his throat. The pulse on his neck was visibly beating faster and faster as he laid there, trying not to make any abrupt movements that might anger the brunet even further.

Breathing heavily, she managed to choke out, "Don't even think about it."

Just as she was about to mutter a dark curse, strong hands grabbed her arms and pulled her forcefully to her feet. Snarling, she struggled against the hold, kicking out her legs, trying to somehow to inflict pain on the man still lying in stupor on the ground.

Watching in despair as the knight slowly got up, Hermione restrained a cry of frustration. His eyes watched her cautiously, as he staggered to regain his balance.

"Leave." Growled the voice from behind her.

Calming down, Hermione glared as Sir Ron made a hasty retreat. He stumbled a couple of times before hoisting himself up the small door steps. Yelling loudly to his driver, the horses galloped away at full speed and the carriage soon disappeared from view.

Sighing with relief, Hermione turned and locked eyes with her rescuer. He studied her face, looked for ay signs of bruises and cuts. When he was finished and satisfied with his inspection, he gave her a disapproving look. His expression soon softened as he looked into her warm honey brown eyes.

Hermione tried choked back her sobs as she flung herself into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulders as he ran his hands up and down her back, trying to sooth her agony.

"Shhhh..." he whispered, "it's going to be fine, I won't let him hurt you."

She tightened her grip around his neck and pulled him closer. He slowly bent and sat down on the ground, bringing her down with him. Situating her on his lap, he listened to her frightened cries. His whole world felt like it was collapsing. He promised he would always protect her, and he let her get hurt. It was all his fault, all his bloody fault. His hands balled into fists as he closed his eyes, forcing back his tears. Her cries were like knives, piercing his heart into a million pieces.

They sat like this for what seemed like forever before Hermione finally managed to stop her sobs. She slowly raised her tear stricken face from his shoulders. Looking down at her hands, she searched her head for the right thing to say.

"I knew you would come Harry," she whispered, "I knew you would."

He smiled and nodded at her, "I'm always going to be here for you, no matter where you are."

Harry hoisted himself up and stretched his sore legs, trying to get some feeling back into them. Offering her a hand, he pulled her up and watched as she brushed off her clothes, letting the dust fall back to the ground.

They walked in silence back to the den. The sky was already dark. Far away, stray wolves could be heard howling to each other, announcing their presence.

"How's Remus?" Hermione asked, breaking the eerie silence. She watched him from the corner of her eyes, but his expression remained impassive.

"He's still the same," Harry shook his head, "the number of orphans that came this year is exceedingly high."

Hermione nodded in understanding, "with the number of Deatheaters increasing, I'm not sure the thief hole will be able to hold any more of them."

"Surviving isn't as easy as it was before," Harry said, looking grim, "Even if we robbed the whole entire town, I doubt there is enough to feed the number of orphans."

"You know how I feel about stealing Harry."

He gave a heartless shrug, "Better than dying of hunger," he turned to her, "The only way they can exist is by stealing. None of them has any choice in it Hermione. I'm sure they do not want to steal either, but it is better than dying."

Hermione sighed, "I understand Harry, after all, that's how we grew up too." She gave him a warm smile, "I heard Remus is teaching everyone how to fight and defend themselves."

He nodded, "I remember him saying, that when the time comes, our skills maybe our only chance of survival."

Their steps halted in front of the now noiseless den. Hermione stared at it for a few moments before looking back at Harry. Reaching inside her clock, she brought out a bag and hand it to him. She watched as he frowned and pulled on the string opening. Inside, were gallons and sickles, showing brightly in the moonlight.

"You keep it Hermione," he said, as he shoved the bag back into her hands.

She shook her head gently and pushed it back towards him, "You remember Harry? The only reason why Remus let me work as a maid for the Countess, was to get enough money to feed the younger orphans. I have enough, and I've no need for more food or clothing. Take it back with you Harry, and buy the children some new clothing."

He hesitated for a minute before nodding. Stuffing the sack down his pockets, he bend down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I'll be back to visit you soon, take care."

Just as he was about to turn and walk away, she grabbed his arm to stop him. Gazing over his shoulder, he gave her an inquiring look.

"Why did you stop me?" She asked.

He frowned, "stopped you from what?"

"When I was about to curse that half-witted imbecile, why did you stop me?"

"Hermione," he said, sighing, "He is a Knight, and a noble. It would not be wise to hurt him."

She raised an inquiring eyebrow, "Since when did you care about their well being?"

"Since it concerns you," He smiled down at her, "Sleep tight my beautiful baby sister."

Hermione grinned as she watched his retreating back. Walking up the steps, she pushed the door open and peeked inside.

"Hermione!" came a loud cheery cry.

"Hi Hannah, sorry I'm late." She said, giving an apologetic smile.

"Never mind that, I'm so glad you're back. We were so worried! The countess almost raised the roof when she found out you were missing!" She exclaimed.

"Really? But –"

"I DON'T CARE IF THEY ARE ALL SLEEPING! YOU FIND HER RIGHT NOW OR I'LL TEAR DOWN THIS HOUSE! DO YOU HERE ME!? DO YOU?!" screeched a loud booming voice.

Hermione's eyes went wide as she slowly raised her head and looked up at the ceiling. She could practically see it shake as the countess stomped her foot in frustration.

"See? I told you so." Both girls ran up the wooden stairs and raced to the door. Yanking the door open, they spotted a vicious looking lady standing over a cowering man on his knees.

The countess raised her head and cried out in relief, "There you are! Where have you been! I was worried sick!"

Hermione bowed her head, "My deepest apologies milady. I got...I got...lost and only managed to find my way back."

The elderly lady studied the shivering girl up and down before finally nodding her head. "Go get some sleep."

"But milady! You're sick! I should be taking care of you!"

Countess McGonagall's lips formed into a smile, "Just a minor cold, I should be better in the morning. Now off to bed, the both you!" She looked back down a the owner of the den and motioned for him to get up. "You may leave too, but I hope you do realize, that 'the guards are all sleeping' is not a good enough excuse for next time my maid gets lost. Now get out!"

Hermione watched as the man scrambled out of the room and down the stairs. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him, the countess's wrath was something she wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of.

"Both of you, to bed now! We arrive at the palace tomorrow night." Hermione and Hannah curtsied to their lady and turned to leave.

"Oh yes and by the way, we will be meeting Lady Ginny Weasley and Duke Severus Snape at the Mountain Inn tomorrow at noon. You both know Lady Ginny, but do try not to offend the Duke, I heard he isn't in a very...joyful...mood at the moment."

A/N: DUH DUH DUH!!! LOL! To all of you that reviewed...I LOVE YOU!!! LOL! Txs for all the support! I'll try to update as soon as I can! Oh and I'm sorry for all the spelling mistakes, I'm having trouble checking over my work.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do no own Harry Potter

A/N: hehe…forgot to write the disclaimer for the previous chapters…oh well…anyways, I would like to mention Michelle in this chapter, because she said she wanted to be famous. LOL…anyways…lets get on with the story!

Chapter Three

Hermione sat in silence as she watched the busy towns people pass by one after another. It was only an hour after dawn, but GriffinHill was already filled with noises and excitement. The sky was still a cloudy grey, with only the tip of the sun peaking out from behind the dark black mountains. She observed unblinkingly as the merchants set up their shops for the day. Some even arranged their goods in little carts on the sides of the road.

Hermione smiled when she noticed a mother scold her children while trying to protect them from the passing horses. Far away, she could hear the sound of a toddler crying for sweets. Men were getting ready for work and kissing their wife and kids goodbye. Hermione couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She had never had a real family. Her parents both died of cancer when she was only one. Brought up by Remus, her uncle, she never felt the kind of love only a mother can give. Her brother Harry was always there for her, but it just wasn't the same.

She was extremely grateful to the countess who took her in and gave her shelter and food. She had helped her in her time of need and Hermione had been serving her ever since she was ten, and her mistress did to some extent seem like a mother to her. But no matter how close they were, she was still a servant and nothing more. The carriage wheel hit against a rock, shaking Hermione out of her reverie.

Gazing out the window once more, she noticed many people stopped to stare in wonder at the two official looking carriages. Hermione was not at all surprised at the immense attention. The countess had woken up this morning to find about a dozen royal guards waiting for her. They were escorts, sent by the king to ensure their safety to the palace. Thinking it was unnecessary, she ordered them to return, but they persisted and refused to leave.

Hermione wasn't sure she liked these hard-faced soldiers. They looked stiff and ill-humored. With all the safety rules they had insisted upon, even the normally energetic Hannah seemed to be depressed. The guards had insisted that they make no unnecessary stops along the way, and that the countess had to be seated in a separate carriage. Hermione frowned in confusion. Did they suspect that she or Hannah would try to assassinate their lady? Even more unbelievable, they had placed thick curtains, covering all the windows, and ordered them not to look out, incase someone was to recognize them. The two maids had rolled their eyes and continued to cautiously peek out from behind the curtain. Settling back down comfortably on her seat, Hermione glanced around absent-mindedly. Their carriage was a lot less fancy than the dark blue one their mistress was occupying. With slightly worn and dust covered red seats and dirty brown floors, it seemed as if the carriage hasn't been used for hundreds of years.

"Hermione! Look!" Hannah hissed, with urgency. With one finger pulling on the curtain to make a small gap, and the other pointing to something outside, she shifted herself slightly to make more room for Hermione. Leaning over, Hermione gazed out in confusion. There was a split road ahead, one going into a foreboding dense forest and the other was headed directly towards Mountain's Inn. They were almost there. Suddenly, she heard voices coming closer and closer. Pulling herself and Hannah away from the window, she strained her ears to hear what they were saying.

"– the spell?" said a smooth, deep baritone.

"Y-Yes, I-It worked –" replied a high panicky voice

"Good, let's go."

Completely bewildered, Hannah looked quizzically at Hermione who shrugged. Suddenly, the carriage lurched forward making them tumble from their seats and onto the floor. Hanging on to each other, they both made a frantic grab for something to hold on to. The carriage was rattling violently as the driver overhead cracked the whips and spurred the horses into a fast gallop on the rough road. Banging her head several times, Hermione tried to get back up to the seat. But with the extra weight of Hannah clinging onto her waist, she eventually gave up and closed her eyes, listening for any sounds coming from the carriage in front of them. Hearing nothing, she panicked.

"What's going on?" Hannah screamed. Shaking her head, Hermione closed her eyes and began to mumble prayers under her breath. As quickly as it came, they suddenly stopped. The force threw both girls to the other side of the compartment. Hitting her back on the edge of the seat, Hermione cried out in pain. She could feel Hannah shaking violently beside her. The carriage door was roughly jerked open and a hand grabbed her by the arm in an iron grip and yanked her out.

Hermione, completely dazed and confused, with both her back and head throbbing, looked blearily around. They were in the middle of a dense forest with trees surrounding them from all directions. It was quiet except for the occasional sound of the wind blowing through the leaves. There was only a little light that managed to seep through the crowded tree tops, making it just bright enough to see.

"What happened?" asked a slightly shaken Hannah, "were we under attack?"

Some of the guards snorted as others laughed out loud.

"Probably only Mudbloods like you could ask such a stupid question." Sneered an obnoxious looking a man with a brutal looking scar on the side of his face.

Hermione felt anger purse through her veins as she growled dangerously. Just as she was about to charge towards them, someone grab her arms and pulled her back. Catching a glimpse of a large royal blue carriage parked a few meters ahead, she suddenly remembered what had she overheard a moment ago. She watched in despair as two men opened the door and reached in.

"Leave her alone!" she proclaimed loudly. They simply ignored her and kept on. Hermione slackened in shock as she watched the limp body of the Countess being hauled out and unceremoniously thrown onto the grass. She was dead.

"Milady!" she screamed, trying to break free. But the guard kept his firm hold on her and refused to let go.

"What have you done to her!" Hermione demanded furiously.

The men laughed unpleasantly, "This is what happens to all those that oppose our Lord." replied the same man with the ugly scar.

Hermione eyes dawned with comprehension. It was a trap, the king did not send guards; it was all a lie.

"Do what ever it is you want with me, but let my lady go!" Hermione pushed forward again, to try and get closer to the countess, but still no luck. She heard whimpering from Hannah, who was standing off to the side. Turning to comfort the girl, her words stopped short as she heard a muffled sound coming from the woman lying on the ground. She watched in disbelief as her mistress got up slowly from the ground. The men gaped and shifted around in confusion, obviously, this was not part of their plan.

"Did you think that your weak spell would work on me?" the countess's voice was colder than even, making everyone present shudder. All whom have suffered her wrath knows never to do it again, but these men were smiling and looking expectantly to see what she would do. McGonagall reached inside her sleeves and felt her fingers clasped on nothing but air, her wand was gone. Trying to appear unaffected by this troubling news, she stood tall and held her head up. If she was going to die, then she would perish with honor.

"I should have known."

"Yes, you should have known, but it's too late now", replied Scar. He nodded to the others and pulled out his wand. The others followed and within seconds, the tips of a dozen wands were directed at the countess.

'_No!_' Hermione's mind screamed. The countess once saved her, and helped her in the time of need. She wasn't going to let harm come to her lady. Hermione raised her heel and stomped down as hard as she can on her captor's foot. Twisting around to face him, she brought up her knee to meet with his groin and was rewarded with a yelp of pain as he doubled over. Hermione managed to break free and tore across the grass. It was as if everything was in slow motion. She pushed the countess out of the way as fast as she can. But now, the numerous spells were heading towards her instead. As they hit her body, Hermione was overwhelmed with absolute pain and screamed out. Then everything went black.

Hermione moaned as she covered her head to try and stop the throbbing. Rubbing her temples, she grunted in frustration when the pain refused to depart. It felt as if someone was smacking her repeatedly with a brick. Her back, arms and legs were stiff and she found herself incapable of moving the lower part of her body. She wanted to shriek out or punch something to relieve her pent up frustration. Slowly opening one eye after another, she blinked a couple of times to try and clear the dark confusing blur in front of her. Her heart suddenly ceased beating as her vision cleared and she found herself staring into a pair of endless black eyes.

A/N: DUN DUN DUN DUUUNNNN!...HEY! THANKS FOR ALL YOUR LOVELY REVIEWS! Oh and my friend Nimalka has offered to be my editor, so special thanks to her. Oh and IF I GET MORE THAN 15 REVIEWS…I'LL POST UP THE NEXT CHAPTER AS FAST AS I CAN…BUT IF I DON'T…I MIGHT JUST TAKE MY SWEET TIME! Lol….black mail I know…lol


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A/N:

I AM SO SO SORRY about the mix up. Yes the fourth chapter was up before, but then I found some mistakes and decided to redo some of it before posting it up again. So again, I apologize to all those people that wanted to read it but didn't get to. **PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ALREADY READ THIS CHAPTER, YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ IT AGAIN.** I have included some detail that I haven't written before. I apologize again for the inconvenience.

**RESPONSE TO FLAME**: I would like to say that I am extremely grateful for your review. I was laughing so hard while reading it that I almost choked on my own tears. I had hoped that you at least left your email address so I can write my response to you there, but since you didn't have the guts to, I have no choice but to post up my response at the beginning of this chapter.

I can not believe you had the courage to flame me when you can't even spell simple words properly. The button on your Microsoft Word that has a check mark and the letters "ABC" on it is used for checking your spelling and grammar. That is, if you don't have problems with pressing buttons too. "Ops" is actually spelled "o-o-p-s", ops stands for Office Price Stabilization, unless that's what you actually meant, and "threating" is not a word.

What I write in my author's notes has nothing to do whatsoever with the progress of my story, I suggest you do not go calling people names and insulting their stories (because that's just childish) just based on what they write in their A/N.

I hope that the next time you flame someone, you have some decent points to back it up. Calling me "tacky" for no reason is completely dumb and useless. If you call my story crappy, then please state why, I do not appreciate flames that don't offer any constructive criticism.

I was wondering if you always called the authors of fanfics unfavorable names, because if you do, then I can honestly say that I have finally met someone who'd stoop that low.

I am beginning to question whether you actually read it or not. Or it could be that you just go around leaving ignorant reviews for fun.

Saying things like "Okay I'm not reviewing your crappy story (ops I just did)" is completely stupid and (if I may use your word) tacky. Or maybe you have some brain problems where you don't realize what you are doing until five seconds later. Is that a problem for you? Maybe you should go to a doctor.

Anyways, I just hope that next time you flame me, please at least have the courage to leave your name. It's not like I'm going to track you down and beat the shit out of you. Anyways…nice knowing you. Ciao!

Chapter Four

His eyes were like dark endless tunnels, drawing her in. Sharp black pupils seem to penetrate right through her, peeking into her soul. Hermione felt bare and naked, she couldn't run and there was nowhere to hide. Slowly, her eyelids began to drop until darkness took over. There was something; a white cloud floating before her. She quickly reached out to grasp it, but it was so far away, she couldn't reach. Suddenly, the airy light expanded, chasing away the blackness that once surrounded her. Scenes from her blurry childhood began flashing before her, one after another.

- Harry helping her climb her first tree –

- Remus hugging her closely as she cried –

Then, the beginning of another memory slowly materialized before her.

A little boy, about the age of three stared down lovingly at her. Hermione blinked and the boy smiled, "I'm glad you're awake Hermione." –

Confused, she tried hard to remember more, and cried in frustration as the image slipped away. A shiver went coursing down the length of her spine as an eerie feeling of something; an invisible hand of some sorts shuffled through her mind, seeking answers. Still dazed, she offered no resistance as the hand drew something still freshly embedded in her mind.

– She was back in the gloomy forest. Deatheaters surrounded her from all directions. McGonagall's limp body was lying on the ground, and the sound of Hannah's distressful cries were still vigorously clear. She saw herself jump in front of the countess and pushed her out of the way as the glistening spells came speeding towards her…–

As quickly as it came, the vision ended. Hermione was staring again into those hard cold eyes. 'What just happened?' Her mind was a muddle, everything seemed so confusing. Suddenly, something dawned to her. He had used Occlumency to look inside her memories!

"So nice of you to join us," drawled the owner of those mysterious eyes, as he stood up from his kneeling position and sat down on the chair next to the bed. He was a handsome looking man, she had to admit. His dark black hair was tied back with a blue elastic, with some loose strands escaping the ponytail, falling across his pale and well defined cheeks bones. His thin lips were pursed into a tight line as he stared down disapprovingly at her. Sitting up with energy she thought she never had, Hermione growled and looked threateningly at him.

"Where is the Countess!" she demanded.

"I do not see where that should concern you." He replied casually with a glance in her direction. His eyes focused on the far right corner of the wall where there was a closed window, partially hidden by dusty old curtains.

Still glaring at him with full strength, Hermione suddenly grabbed her head in pain. It felt like herds of elephants were stampeding over her head, tramping it into pulp.

"I suggest you lay back down." He said, his face remaining impassive.

"I do not see where that should concern you!" She snapped, spitting his aggravating reply back at him. Still not taking her eyes away from his face, she slowly laid back down, surprised at the huge decrease in the number of elephants stomping on her brain.

His eyes narrowed into slits as he leaned in close to her ear. Hermione's heart started beating rapidly as she felt his breath brush against her cheeks.

"You are in no position to shout at me, servant!" He hissed, venom oozing out of his voice. Hermione felt like she had been slapped.

"How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!" she shrieked.

His thin lips molded themselves into a smirk, "trust me, I dare."

"YOU FILTHY DEATHEATER, YOU ARE IN NO POSITION TO CALL ME ANYTHING! ATLEAST I DON'T HAVE TO KISS MY MASTER'S ASS!" One hand gripped the sheet as the other clutched her chest. She heaved deeply before looking up at him again. Instead of fuming with anger, he was gazing down at her in astonishment and shock.

Standing up, he smirked at her slightly before striding out of the room casually. Hermione stared at his retreating back in surprise. What ever it was she was expecting from him, it certainly wasn't this. Wincing as the door closed with a loud bang, she lifted her head slowly and tried to prop herself up on her elbows.

A roaring fire lid the room, making it seem extremely cozy and warm. Shadows danced in the corners where the light from the blaze couldn't reach. Two cushioned seats facing each other sat directly in front of the crackling flames. Next to her bed stood a handsome mahogany desk with a simple embroidered comb and mirror on the surface. Speaking of her bed, it actually had silky red drapes hanging off the high canopy. Hermione gawked; _do they usually treat their prisoners like this? What happened to all the torture and beatings?_ This room didn't seem like a dungeon, it looked as if it belonged to a Lady.

Pushing that thought away, she sat up and slowly placed one foot then the other on the soft carpeted floor. Standing up, she glanced down and realized that someone had changed her clothes while she was unconscious! Gasping, she wrapped her arms around her tightly and looked frantically around. That Man! It must have been him that did this! Glancing down, she let her arms slowly drop to her sides. Raising a finger, she gently stroked the edge of the soft fabric. It was a beautiful cream nightgown, trimmed elegantly with a lacy cuff. Hermione had never worn anything like this. Only nobles could have ever been able to afford that amount of money.

Hearing a soft knock on the door, she rushed back into the bed gripped the covers close to her chest, making sure not to reveal anything. Slowly, the door was pushed opened and a woman in her mid-twenties stepped in with a buddle of clothing draped over her arms. She was slightly shorter than average, with light golden hair and deep sea blue eyes. Her clothing was simple, but the silver lines on her sleeves showed that she was a personal servant, probably for someone of high nobility.

"Master requested your presence downstairs as soon as you are dressed and ready." She said, giving Hermione a reassuring smile. Placing the clothing down neatly on the bed, she began shuffling through the materials.

"I don't know which dress you would like better, so I brought you everything I could find in your size. I managed to measure you a bit before I took off your other clothes." _Whew, at least, He didn't see her naked._ "Don't worry, you'll get them back as soon as Mandy's done with them." The older girl sniffed indignantly. "Not that she'll ever be done with them, or return them in one piece that is. I have never known a clumsier girl. That Mandy Brocklehurst is nothing but trouble. Oh by the way, I'm Susan Bones." She said carelessly, as if talking like this to strangers was normal everyday occurrence. Hermione stared at her with wide eyes. _What was going on here! Has everyone gone insane!_

Ignoring the horrified look on Hermione's face, the girl continued to ramble on and on, complaining about this 'Mandy'. Finally, she stopped for two seconds and then began another rave about all the clothes she brought. Occasionally, she would drape a dress on Hermione to see if it complimented her. If not, then it was thrown haphazardly onto the cushioned chair that she somehow managed to drag across the room. "I think this red one will look the best on you, let's try it. You have a pretty good figure," She said while eyeing Hermione, "Your hips could be a little more…" she gestured with her hands. "But, let's try it on and see." She said finally.

Hermione obeyed immediately. At least when she was dressed properly, she could give that man a piece of her mind, and fist, she added as an afterthought. She carefully slipped out of the nightgown and stood silently as the other girl, Susan, helped her into the new dress, first tying up the corset and then the various bows and ribbons.

After she was done, she led Hermione into a chair in front of the mirror and sat her down. Brushing her tangled brown hair out with a comb, Susan started talking mindlessly again while doing her work.

"You are exceedingly pretty, but then again, I'm not surprised. Lots of pretty girls hang around master all day to try and get on his good side. But master wouldn't even spare them a second glance," Hermione could see Susan shaking her head through the mirror disapprovingly, "Poor master, always alone, never wants any company. The girls try so hard, but they are practically invisible to him. 'Mindless giggling fools' he calls them. At this rate, I will never have a mistress to serve." She sighed sadly.

_Okay, that's it. The whole world has gone crazy._ _Am I the only sane person left?_

Hermione winced as Susan pulled hard on her hair and tied it back tightly. She began curling the ends into soft ringlets "You didn't tell me your name yet." inquired the girl, trying to strike up a conversation.

Hermione hesitated before replying, "Hermione, my name is Hermione."

"Hmm, a peculiar name…What about your last name?"

"Lupin, Hermione Lupin." Susan nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"There, all done! Follow me please." Hermione, not even bothered to see how she looked, stood up from the chair and followed the other girl out of the room. Walking down the dimly candle lid hallway, she listened hard for any sounds of the Countess and Hannah. _Where are they?_ The wooden floor creaked beneath her feet, pronouncing every step she made. Distracted, she almost missed the top of the stairs if Susan hadn't turned to check on her.

Feeling like a klutz, she continued the rest of the way with her mind and eyes alert, making sure not to miss anything else. They stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned left, walking into a large spacious room. A long rectangular table sat in the middle with about a dozen chairs placed on the sides. And on two of those chairs, sat the Countess and the Deatheater! Quite close together, They were conversing as if they've known each other for years! At the sound of Susan's polite cough, they both looked up.

"Hermione! There you are!" The Countess exclaimed, with a huge smile, "I've been informed that you have already met Duke Severus Snape of KingValley." She said, with a gesture towards the man sitting beside her. Hermione stared at the smirking man, dumbfounded.

A/N: YES! I FINALLY GOT THAT DONE! I'm sorry about taking so long, I really didn't mean to, but I have so much homework and tests coming up. I'll try to post up the next chapter as soon as I can! Oh and I would like to really, really, really thank my editor Nimalka! She has been a great help Love you lots Nimo! Please review!

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, so please do not sue me. I'm poor, so I won't be able to afford anything anyways.

A/N: I AM SO, SO SORRY for not updating sooner! I really had a lot of tests (seems to be a habit nowadays) I really hope I haven't lost anybody! So here's a relatively long chapter to make up for it! :D Hope you'll all forgive me! Oh and by the way, the E/N you see down there is from my editor. She kindly asked (threatened) me to put it up at the beginning of this chapter (or else I will be quote: "mortified")

**.:.E/N.:.** wOw! this has been a _crazy_ week, I spent about a week and a half constantly nagging this girl to write her chapter and put it up!!! I guess we can all say_ **FINALLY!!!!!!!** _with relief!! Complain to her about the lateness, and maybe she'll put it up more often. -

Thank you so much to those that reviewed. If you put in your review that my story could be improved, please state where you think I could do better. Don't just say "it sucks" or "you could do better". I would like to know where I could improve since I am only a beginner. Oh and please write it in a nice way, I do not wish to have to (as one of my cute reviewers put it) stick my "virtual middle finger" at you. Oh and I remember one reviewer once asked me the order of Duke, Count and so on, so for those of you that are not aware, here it is!

(1) King

(2) Duke

(3) Marquis

(4) Earl/Count

(5) Viscount

(6) Baron

I'm not exactly sure this is accurate, so if you find any mistakes please tell me!

Anyways, on with the story!

Chapter Five

_Duke?!_ That despicable, annoying, dirty, vile, self-centered man was a Duke?! And the Duke of KingValley no less! One of the most powerful and influential man alive! He was a renowned tactician and warlord. Plenty of women would gouge out their eyes for a chance to meet him, and from what she has heard, the spot for the Duchess of KingValley is still vacant.

_That explains his obnoxiousness, acting like he's above all those around him!_ Hermione squared her shoulders slightly. She refused to throw herself at his feet like all the other walking makeup sticks! Raising her head high, she glowered at him.

"Yes, we have met." Her voice was cool and calm. But that man, Duke Snape, simply ignored her piercing gaze and continued talking to the countess, as if Hermione did not exist.

"I think it would be wise Minerva, to teach your servants respect," he said nonchalantly.

Hermione's fist tightened as she gritted her teeth. Counting backwards from ten under her breath, she tried hard to calm her angry.

"The last time I checked, servants were supposed to bow before their superiors," His eyes shifted towards her as his lips quirked into a sly smile.

"Only when they deserve such respect!" she hissed back venomously.

"AND SPEAK ONLY WHEN SPOKEN TO!" His voice boomed, making Susan, who was standing in the doorway, yelp with fright. The Countess, surprisingly, chuckled and shook her head. Hermione flinched, but her stubbornness prevented her from backing down.

"Why is it, SIR," she said mockingly, "that I always seem to be repeating myself in your presence? As I have said before, only when they deserve such a respect!"

He rose so quickly from his seat that the chair tilted and wobbled a few times before settling back down. Snape took slow and menacing steps towards her until he had her backed up against the wall beside the door. Their noses were just millimeters away from touching. Hermione could once again feel his warm and ragged breath on her face, as if daring her to make a move. He bared his teeth, growling like a leopard that just spotted its prey, seconds away from pouncing. Her knees suddenly went weak and her hands felt wet and clammy. Still refusing to give him the satisfaction of winning, she met his eyes defiantly, surprised at her own courage.

"I suggest, _maid_," his voice barely above a whisper, "that you shut your filthy mouth before I do it for you."

Hermione gave a quiet, curt laugh, "What? Is the great Duke reducing to threats now?" Her voice was taunting, masking her inner turmoil and dismay. Though she would never admit it to anyone, she was scared.

He gave a loud growl and slammed his hands on either side of her head, making her cringe. Hermione, as mad as she was, didn't dare try irritating him any further. The Duke was known for his volcanic temper that often erupted without even the least amount of compassion or sympathy.

The Countess McGonagall snorted in an unladylike fashion, "Now, now children, play nice." The duke quickly turned his head around and sent a killing glare at the elderly lady.

"We have important matters to discuss Minerva, please dismiss your maid."

Hermione took a deep breath as he backed away from her and regained his seat once more. Now that he wasn't breathing down her neck, she could feel her blood boiling inside her with renewed anger. Daggers shot from her eyes, each one directed at that cruel, evil man sitting before her.

McGonagall gave Hermione a small nod, "Go get some rest and food Hermione, we still have one more day of riding tomorrow before we reach the castle."

Hermione curtsied to the Countess and pointedly ignored the Duke's presence. _Nobody was going to insult her like that and get away with it! _She gave him a cold look to match his own before turning quickly and marching out with Susan at her heels.

_I don't believe this! The nerve of that man! _Hermione felt like charging back and beating him with a burning log until he screamed with mercy. Thoughts of creative torture and revenge filled her head as she tried to destroy everything blocking her path with her seemingly murderous glare. For some reason, the floor boards on the stairs looked extremely offensive to her as she stomped hard on them; making loud thumbing noises with each step she took.

"What did the stairs ever do to you?" She heard Susan murmur from behind her. Ignoring the other girl, she continued her rampage down the hall and back into the room that she previously woke up in. Throwing the door open in blind rage, she was surprised to see that there were two other presences in the room as she stomped in.

"Hannah!? Lady Ginny!?" The two women got up quickly and ran towards the confused girl standing in the doorway.

Hannah, the youngest of the group, was always extremely cheerful and often enjoyed teasing those around her. The slightly plump girl had dark blond hair with glimmering light blue eyes that could make even the sky darken with envy. Lady Ginny, on the other hand, was exactly the opposite of Hannah. It was often believed to be a miracle that they got along so well. Being extremely shy and well mannered, Ginny hardly ever let her temper get the better of her. But when she did, she could give out a lashing that one does not forget easily. Lady Ginny was not extremely beautiful, but the air of dignity and grace that surrounded her often made men bow before her feet.

The three girls had been friends ever since Hermione began as a servant for the Countess McGonagall at the age of ten. Lady Ginny of WatersPeak, due to her social status, couldn't always be there with them. But during her visits to her aunt McGonagall, they would often sit and talk for hours un-end, telling each other of their adventures. Ginny never regarded herself as someone of higher rank, and treated Hermione and Hannah like her sisters. She was also their source and connection to the outside world. Stories of romance between Nobles were like icing on a cake to Hannah; the slightly chubby girl could never get enough of them. Hermione, on the other hand, was more interested in the war between the two kingdoms. Gallamous, under the rule of King Dumbledore, has been at war with its neighboring kingdom, Serpentinis for just over a decade. Stories of the glorious battles that took place weeks or days ago excited her much more than the social lives of those that believed they 'mattered more'.

"Hermione! You're alright!" said Hannah in relief, pulling the bewildered maid into a tight firm hug, "We were so worried about you!"

They dragged Hermione towards the fireplace and pressed her into the nearest cushioned chair. Susan sat herself on the edge of the bed while Hannah and Lady Ginny took seats directly across, all of them facing Hermione.

"What happened?" inquired Hermione as she shifted into a more comfortable position.

"I'm not so sure myself," replied Hannah, tugging at a piece of loose hair. It was a habit of hers that she did when ever she got ready to tell a story of make up a lie. "After you blacked out, the Lady was so upset and angry she started attacking those men with her bare hands! You should have seen it Hermione! One second they were all big and tough, but one look from the Countess reduced them all into simpering wimps!" The four girls giggled from the mental images they managed to conjure up from Hannah's description.

"I still remember when M'lord managed to get on her bad side," Susan managed to choke out between laughs, "I have never seen him that scared in my life, and mind you, I practically served him ALL my life."

"Uncle Severus?" Lady Ginny asked in shock, "Since when was his name spoken like that with the word _scared_ in the same sentence?!"

Hermione was surprised as well; he appeared to her as an imposing and dignified man. Rude, yes, but still, she had to admit, he did project an image of power. The thought of him being frightened, by an elderly lady nonetheless, seemed very out of place.

"What did he do?" Inquired Hannah.

"I believe this was about a year ago," Susan started, "Milord refused to attend the annual Bachelor Ball and got an earful from the Countess. It was very hard not to laugh; she was scolding him like a toddler! And well...he made the mistake of telling her to mind her own bloody business. You should have seen it! She went from pink to white, and from white to red. Her face was purple by the time she finished screaming at him!"

Hermione smiled, even if they have just met, she felt like Susan has been part of their group for years. The other girls too, seemed to have accepted her with opened arms.

"And then...?" Hannah urged, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"He apologized."

A loud gasping noise came from Lady Ginny as she covered her mouth with a white gloved hand. Hermione stared quizzically at Hannah and both girls shrugged with confusion.

"That's it?" asked Hannah.

"That's it?! What do you mean that's it?!" cried Lady Ginny in disbelief, "Uncle Severus NEVER apologizes, for _anything!_ He broke Duke Lucius's nose two years ago and he still hasn't said a word of remorse about it, and trust me, he's not going to!"

"He must really care for the Countess then." Hermione stated, almost mocking at her own words. That man didn't look as if he cared much for anything at all.

Hannah nodded, "I think he does. When he came charging through the trees to rescue us, he took one look at the Lady and started blasting spells everywhere. "

"What about the Deatheaters?" Hermione asked, "What happened to them?"

Hannah shook her head, "They escaped. There were too many of them. Lord Snape was outnumbered."

Hermione nodded in understanding and winced slightly as she felt a blaze of pain shooting through the left side of her waist. Ignoring it, she quickly masked her face before the others noticed.

"But there's one thing I don't get." Hannah continued, turning towards Susan, "if he refused to attend the Bachelor's Ball last year, why is he here now?"

Lady Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her seat and blushed, "He's here for me."

The room went dead quiet. With eyes that were practically bulging from their sockets, Hannah stared in disbelief. Susan on the other hand, looked thoughtful as she gazed into the depths of the roaring fire.

"Since it's my first time going, I needed an escort." She hesitated, "Count Malfoy offered to take me, but Aunt Minerva threw a fit about him being Duke Lucius's son." She shrugged before continuing, "a week later, a messenger came from Uncle Severus, offering to take me. The letter sounded awfully forced, I guess auntie had something to do with it."

Susan nodded, "I do remember M'lord receiving a message from the Lady, he did seem really angry for a few days after."

Hermione snorted, "You make it sound like there was a time when he was normal."

Susan grinned, "When he starts throwing things and yelling at every object, alive or not, he's probably more disagreeable than normal."

"He sounds like a very nice man, I'm sure." Hannah giggled.

Hermione rolled her eyes, wishing someone would change the topic. She did not want to be reminded of that abominable man anymore. The pain in her waist was getting worse and worse, biting her bottom lip; she concentrated on the conversation and tried to ignore the constant pain.

"Are you nervous?" asked Hannah, smiling slyly at the Lady Ginny, "It is the first time you'll be attending the Bachelor's Ball...think you'll find someone special?"

Lady Ginny blushed, "I...I'm not s...sure"

"Awww...don't worry, you're such a nice, sweet and shy girl, I'm sure the men will be all over you by the end of the first night." said Susan kindly.

Hannah snickered, "Shy? SHY? She seems shy now, you really should see her once you've aroused her temper! If she got any worse, I'd say we'd have another Hermione at our hands!"

Lady Ginny sent a glare towards the jeering girl and sniffed indignantly, "At least I am not some hopeless romantic that loves cake so much she would sell her soul for just one piece of it."

Susan leaned back slightly on the bed, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire between the two girls. Hermione rolled her eyes, her friends bickering was like mourning tea to her, a day just isn't a day without it. They glowered at each other for what seemed like long minutes before bursting into laughter. Susan visibly relaxed, but decided to change to conversation before they start quarreling again.

"I heard your brother was coming to the ball as well, Lady Ginny." She said pleasantly, as if nothing had happened, "from what M'lord tells me, the battle at the western ridge wasn't a piece of cake."

Hermione tensed as she gripped her armchair tightly. All color drained from her face, both from the pain and from the unwanted mentioning of Sir Ronald Weasley, her drunken attacker.

Lady Ginny inclined her head in confirmation, "I hope he is looking for a bride this time," she shook her head slightly in disaprovement, "his reputation among the women isn't exactly clean. I hope that he would find a nice woman and just settle down. By now, he must have fathered at least a dozen bastards. If he wasn't so good on the battlefield, I doubt the king would have tolerated him up until now."

Drops of sweat formed on Hermione face as her view became slightly hazy. Leaning over, she bowed her head between her knees, trying to bring blood into her brain and cleanse the dizziness. Her hands gripped her sides tightly; it felt as if thousands of hot needles were being pushed slowly into her skin. She heaved strenuously, finding it extremely hard to bring oxygen into her lungs.

Hannah, noticing Hermione's strange behavior, got up form her seat and kneeled before the struggling girl. She placed a hand on Hermione's shoulders and inclined her head sideways. Deep frown lines began forming on her face as she felt Hermione tremble severely under her touch.

"Hermione! What's wrong?!" Lady Ginny and Susan rushed to her side and tried to help her sit up properly.

Hermione wished that they would stop touching her. Everywhere that they made contact, her skin burned, scorching her body like paper. Tears began running down her face, by now, the pain was so great she was seconds away from fainting. She opened her mouth to try and beg someone to kill her, but she was no longer in control. Her jaws were clamped shut and her legs stiffened, making it impossible to move. Raising her head slowly, she met the worried eyes of Hannah. The girl gasped and pulled back slightly. Hermione's once warm brown pupils were now flaming red. Her face was pure white, as if all the blood has be sucked out from her veins.

"I'll got fetch M'lord!" Susan's high panicking voice was the last thing she heard before the darkness devoured her into its folds.

A/N: I'M FINALLY DONE THIS CHAPTER!! YAY!! I'M SO PROUD OF ME! :D anyways...please leave a review to tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A/N: oh God…I am so so SO sorry for not updating…you have two types of people to blame, one would be the stupid wonderful stories that other people wrote, I couldn't keep my eyes off of them long enough to concentrate on my story. Two would be my teachers, they went crazy giving projects and other homework…and okay fine…I do admit that laziness had something to do with it as well…but only a little :P Also, a big thanks to my editor, Nimalka…she's been putting up with me for a bit (sort of) and I am extremely grateful she hasn't chocked me to death (yet…but not that she didn't try) for not working on the story. I really am trying my best to get things done, so please try to put up with me:)

E/N: Nemo (aka THE editor), well just one thing I'd like to correct, since its my job XD , i totally deny the fact that i tried to choke her! i actually succeeded there, so I thought I'd like to point it

out.

yawn ( -- fours hours of sleep here)

sorry about the lateness, hope we haven't lost any of the readers, this'll turn out to be a good story, i promise. If it isn't... blame her..

:D c ya!

A/N:…uhh..yes…thank you for those encouraging…uhhh…words…--ll damn…if she didn't threaten to quit on me…I'd soooo be dissing her right now…but my lovely editor here knows something called blackmailing a little too well…grumbles and goes to sit in corner

Chapter Six (finally)

She was suspended in a sea of darkness, so black, that she could not see her own hands, but she was sure they were there. The occasional spark of pain reminded her of the presence of flesh pasted on her bones. Anxiety and fear rose within her as she realized that she had no recollection of where she was or what she was doing here, only that she had to get out.

Something solid and cool brushed against her lips. Parting them slowly, trickles of bitter and cold liquid burned her tongue and jolted her throat as it slowly and painfully made its way down. She pursed her lips, closing them tightly before anymore of the distasteful substance could reach inside her mouth. She heard someone sigh as the wet liquid dribbled and slid down her chin. Hermione gasped as it dripped down her neck, causing shivers to run up and down her spine. Taking advantage of her opened mouth, strong hands grabbed her jaw and prevented her lips from closing again.

She struggled as hard as she could, trying to wrench herself out of the strong, firm hold, but it was no use. Her hands and feet felt like they were made of iron, so heavy that it was impossible to lift or move. Hermione tried to scream, but no sound came out. Her flesh was burning with piercing pain as the liquid spread through out her body. It was as if her blood cells were quivering within her veins as they swelled and burst one after another, releasing hot acid that burned right through her skin and dissolved her bones. She has to make it stop, struggling as hard as she can, she felt the bonds tighten around her in a painful grip.

'No! I can't die like this, not like this!' Gritting her teeth with determined anger, she focused all her energy on trying to release the bonds on her arms. She felt multiple streams of sweat roll down her forehead as she finally managed to shift her left thumb ever so slightly. It was certainly a good sign, but just not good enough. She tried even harder to move her left arm as the pain worsened.

The next five seconds passed as if it was in slow motion. Her left arm sprang away from her body and made contact something warm and soft as a sudden yelp startled her back into consciousness. There, lying on the ground, not two feet away from her, was the Duke of KingValley, holding his left cheek and grimacing with pain.

Hermione gasped and sat up as fast as she can. Her hands covered her mouth in shock as she watched the Duke lift himself up from the ground, still bluntly rubbing his sore and swelling cheek. 'Oh no…oh no…oh no' Hermione's eyes shifted nervously from left to right. As much as she despised the man, he was still a noble, and physically injuring one could mean more than just simply death. She has heard of the terrible stories of those unfortunate enough to have been angered by a noble, just enough to let their fists fly uncontrollably and without thinking of the terrible consequences. A woman, just last month, accidentally spilled hot milk on her mistress and was dragged outside, stripped, and beaten to death before by-passers on the streets. Of course, ten years after King Dumbledore came into power, these types of actions have been outlawed. Still, no one dared to try and report something like this, fearing that the courts will listen in favor of nobles and not regular commoners.

Hermione's eyes shifted nervously from left to right. She glanced at the door, maybe there was a slight chance that she could—no that would be worse. She watched him fearfully as he leaned in towards the bedside mirror to study the wound that's already turning from red to an ugly purple. He flinched slightly as he prodded testily at the bruise with his fore finger. Hermione's heart was racing faster and faster by the second, she wasn't going to get away with it this time. She could almost hear the fury radiating from his tense body.

Turning, he regarded her with a murderous look, daggers shot from his eyes as each blade made clear to their target. Hermione was sure that she would have been dead, if those shards of metal were real. She could almost see the wheels turning behind his eyes as he thought up the different ways he was going to deal with her. Hermione's imagination began to run wild, maybe he was going to chop off her limbs and keep her, still alive, within a box, feeding her only when necessary. Or maybe, he was going to tie her to a horse and drag her around the streets until she died. Hermione's face paled visibly as each scenario became worse than the prior.

They didn't move for what seemed like hours when finally, the Duke gave an irritated grunt that jerked Hermione out of her reverie.

"I offer my most sincere regret MAID; it seems that trying to poison you wasn't enough to make you keep your hands to yourself. However, if this shall ever happen again in the future, your insignificant little head is going to be the main course on my dinner table." The Duke turned swiftly, his robes swishing around him as he exited the room in quick, long strides. Hermione flinched as he slammed the door behind him, emphasizing the silence that followed.

Hermione closed her eyes in confusion, she tried hard to make sense of what had just happened, but the numerous questions that washed over her were overwhelming. Before she even had time to sort them out, Susan rushed into the room, her eyes searching frantically around. She sighed with relief and relaxed visibly as she spotted Hermione sitting, alive, on the edge of the bed. She walked cautiously towards Hermione and sat down lightly beside her. Still dazed, Hermione regarded Susan with a blank look that made the elder girl frown with worry.

"I saw Milord leaving in a hurry, and he didn't look very happy. I ran in to make sure you were still alive." Her eyes searched Hermione's for any signs of discomfort, "What happened?" Susan touched Hermione's shoulders lightly and immediately drew back when the other girl flinched away from her.

"Hermione, please tell me what happened, I can't help you if you don't tell me." She used her best motherly voice and reached out again. This time, she managed to lay her hands on Hermione's shoulders for a few seconds before Hermione leaned away from her again.

"I'm fine," Hermione managed to choke out. Her throat still burned slightly, and it was almost as if Susan was wearing a red hot iron glove that burned her every time her hand made contact with Hermione's skin.

Susan frowned, and to Hermione's relief, the elder girl decided to drop the subject, "Well you better get ready then, we're leaving in about an hour or two."

"Leaving?" Hermione inquired, her voice cracking.

"Yes, for the Bachelor's Ball remember?" Susan gave her an odd look.

"Oh," Hermione relied quietly.

Worried about her friend, Susan hesitated, "Do you need any help getting ready?"

Hermione smiled at the other girl's motherly tone. "No, I'm fine, really, I just need…need some time to think."

Susan sighed, still a bit unsure, "Alright then, if you need any help, then please call me."

Giving a slight nod, Hermione watched as Susan got up tiredly from the bed and walked to the door. She turned and looked back as her hand reached for the handle, almost as if she was waiting for Hermione to change her mind.

"I'll be alright Susan, I'm fine." Hermione forced a smile. Susan shook her head in an almost disapproving way, she did not want to leave Hermione alone, especially after what happened, but at Hermione's determined tone, she had no choice but the leave. Opening the door, she stepped out and closed the door quietly behind her. Turning, she almost ran head on into Lady Ginny and Hannah, both of whom were running as if their lives depended on it. The three girls staggered and stumbled before Ginny regained her balance and grabbed them before they fell. Hannah peered behind Susan's shoulders and made an attempt to reach the door handle. Grabbing Hannah's arm, Susan waved her hands and shook her head, she dragged the other two confused looking girls back down the hall and to the stairs before she spoke.

"I think we should leave her alone for a while, I doubt she wants to speak to anyone right now." Her voice was firm and final. At the bottom of the stairs, Susan dropped her grip on their arms and watched apologetically as the other two girls rubbed their wrist and glared at her from the corner of their eyes.

"Is she alright?" Hannah asked, looking up.

"I'm not sure, she moved away every time I tried to touch her, but I think that was an after effect from the potion milord gave her." Lady Ginny, at the mention of her uncle, began giggling uncontrollably.

Susan glared at her, "Really milady, I don't think Hermione in pain is that amusing."

Hannah grinned and covered her mouth to stifle her laughs as she looked away from Susan.

"That's it! What is wrong with you two?" Susan huffed indignantly with her hands on her hips, "I demand to know right now."

"I saw my uncle just a few minutes ago," Ginny managed to choke out between laughs, "and he was grumbling and pushing the mediwitch, what was her name? Oh yes, Madame Simon, away from him."

"Madame Simon?" Hannah asked, looking slightly confused, "wasn't she the healer from GriffinHill? I thought she looked familiar, but what is she doing here in Mountain Inn? It's about five hour ride away from her home town."

Susan shrugged, "doesn't matter, maybe she is visiting a friend or something. Anyways, finish your story Ginny."

"You would not believe it, but Uncle Severus had this huge bruise on the side of his face. Aunt McGonagall kept calling him sunshine because of all the colors! He was so mad, his face turned red every time Aunty called him that pet name. Honestly, he looked like an ornament from a Christmas tree!"

Susan snorted and couldn't help smiling at the thought of her master's dark face painted like a rainbow.

"Uncle Severus kept on saying something about 'stupid maids that can't keep their ruddy hands to themselves'" Lady Ginny continued with a grin, "That's why we were running so fast, we wanted to make sure that my uncle hasn't done anything to Hermione."

"I doubt Milord dares," Susan smirked, "I think he knows that the countess will hunt him down and annihilate him if he hurts Hermione in any way."

Lady Ginny giggled, "You're right, when Aunt McGonagall is mad, she makes You-Know-Who look like an Easter bunny."

Hannah snorted "You have no idea how right you are."

Ginny grinned, "I think I do." She gave Hannah a suggestive look that Hannah sent right back at her.

Susan looked at them with raised eyebrows, "I have no idea what's going on so I'm not even going to bother to ask."

Hannah shook her head and frowned slightly, her expression turned from amused to looking worried, "Do you think the Duke is going to…well…you know…"

"What?" Inquired Susan

"Well…make her pay for punching him…like what happened last month to that woman who got –" Before Hannah could finish her sentence, she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise as Susan and Ginny plastered innocent looks on their faces.

"As much as I wish to," a voice hissed from behind Hannah, "I will not strip your _friend_ and beat her to death, though the thought is very tempting." Hannah turned and stared straight into Duke Snape's broad chest. "I will simply strangle her to death and enjoy every second of it." Hannah gulped and back away quickly, bumping into Susan and accidentally stepping on Lady Ginny's foot.

"You'll do no such thing Severus Salvador Snape," stated a firm voice. Countess McGonagall stood, with her arms rigidly folded across her chest, at the top of the spiral stairway. Descending slowly, she kept a steady gaze at the Duke, almost daring him to say something else.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that Minerva," Snape's voice had dropped an octave as he watched her with his eyes narrowed. Nevertheless, he extended his hand to her as soon as she was within reach and helped her down the rest of the steps.

"I see you have decided to use a concealing charm, Sunshine, though I have to express my disappointment, you did look dashing with something besides black." The Duke snorted and pointedly refused to answer.

"Hannah, are the things all packed and ready?"

At the mention of her name, Hannah quickly looked up and slightly shook her head, "Almost, milady, there are still the horses that need to be saddled and there are some left over baggages that need to be placed on to the carriages."

McGonagall nodded, "get to it then, Ginny?"

"Yes Aunty?" Her voice became sweet at she looked innocently at the Countess.

McGonagall rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to lecture you Ginny, so you can drop that angelic look. Has Hermione awoken yet?"

Ginny grinned sheepishly before answering, "Yes she has aunty,"

McGonagall nodded approvingly, and shifted her gaze at the duke, eyebrows raised, "I trust you'll see to her recovery Severus?"

Snape snorted, "I'll do no such thing, I brewed the bloody potion and gave it to her, and that, marks the end to our correspondence. Hopefully, I will never have to see that little chit again."

"Really Severus!" the countess said, exasperated, "it was an accident, she did not mean any harm!"

The Duke snorted, "I highly doubt that Minerva."

"If you don't mind my saying uncle," Ginny stated pleasantly, "I would say that the colorful look…suited you."

Turning slightly, Snape glared at the young girl, "As a matter of fact, LADY Ginny," He said, through clinched teeth, emphasizing her status, "I do mind, now run along and _play _with the rest of your little servant friends."

"Really Severus, must you always be so grumpy? Besides, I think the dear girl has a point." Chuckling at the murderous look she was receiving, she continued, her tone turning serious, "You said so yourself Severus, she is not likely to recover if her condition is not managed properly. I'm asking you as a favor to me Severus, there's not many qualified Potion Masters that could help her, and you're the only one I could trust her with. Please Severus, she is in this condition because of me, that spell was meant for me! Please…help her."

At her pleading look, Snape sighed and nodded, looking as if a bushel of sour lemons had been forced down his throat. "I'll do it, but only at your request Minerva."

A/N: sorry, wanted to write more…but I'm having a writers' block…anyways…please leave a review to tell me what you think!

E/N (Nemo) : BAH HUMBUG! What a corny excuse, atleast come up with something more believable…..

good stuff….your writing style's improving….the only thing you need to work on are your excuses

: P

A/N: My oh so pleasant editor did not exactly intent for that part to be posted up also, she wrote it after she read over my chapter…I just wanted to put it up to show people how mean she is to me…sniff WWAAAAAAAHHHHHH! runs back to corner and cries comes back a second later PLEASE REVIEW:D:D:D:D:D:D


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A/N: Well well…it seems I finally managed to get over my "writer's block", and trust me, it didn't take much from my editor to make sure I got out of it quickly. It got to the point where I would want to turn and run every time I saw her coming towards me in the school hallway. And no, I am not over reacting, I'd like to see you face a mad Nimalka, trust me, her nickname may be Nemo, but she is nothing like the cute little orange fish. She'd kill you as soon as look at you if you got on her nerves. Pleasant when she's happy, but watch out for her famous "I'm going to kill you" look. After some time of jumping on me in the halls and trying to chock the life out of me, I have finally decided I shall NOT PUT UP WITH THIS ABUSE ANY FURTHUR! I DO NOT WANT TO BE ATTACKED EVERYTIME I RUN INTO HER! ARR! So…I have decided….that as a way to prevent further abuse…to…umm…to….obey her every command and do whatever she wants. And to the person that calls me coward after you read this, meet her and then open your fat mouth please.

Ps: I had this chapter done about a million years ago, but was too lazy to read it over and then post it up…I'm sorry…please don't kill me…hehe

E/N: wow…talk about harsh….as you can see she is seriously over reacting. I don't ALWAYS want to kill her, I'm generally a really nice person, though I joke around a lot. If you knew how many times I had to constantly remind her to finish the chapters before you got fed up with her for not updating, you'd see why I got so mad! So its really not _my_ fault….she brings it upon herself!

Oh well….and actually, as a fact my nickname 'Nemo' was made by a friend that couldn't pronounce/remember my real name, and has nothing to do with the cute fish we all know about.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Seven

"Really your Highness! Is this _honestly_ necessary!" cried an indignant voice.

"Oh hush your whining Terry," An overly cheerful tone replied "or I shall be forced to have that sharp mouth of yours permanently removed."

"Riding horses without a carriage I can understand your highness, but is dressing up as page boys really necessary? This wig is making me sweat, I cannot think properly if my head does not get enough air!" Terry wailed, waving her hands up and down, giving her a strange resemblance to a bird.

"Page boys?" Princess Lavender giggled, "We look nothing like the pages up in the castle. I doubt they would accept us even if we tried, face it, neither of us will last one day under the orders of Sir Charlie and Sir Bill. The horrendous stories I've heard from pages on their training was enough to give me nightmares. And besides, it's not my fault we are out here; father was the one that refused to let us go!" she complained, "Why, I haven't seen Ginny in ages, he can't expect me to sit and wait patiently in the castle when I could very well go and greet her along the way. It would give us some more time to catch up."

Terry huffed, "The King did have a good point, and if I may say so your Highness, you cannot blame him for being worried about your safety!" She complained loudly, "Besides, we have been riding for hours! I do not believe my behind can take any more of this! I didn't even get a chance to pad the saddle this morning before we left, it's as hard as a rock right now and my rear is having problems adjusting to it! I would rather be having a warm cup of tea up at the castle right now then riding horses through uninhabited forests, sweating like a blacksmith!"

Lavender laughed and looked at the other girl slyly from the corner of her coal black eyes. She had to contradict, Lady Terry of LionVille, even with her disguise, did not even bear the slightest resemblance to a blacksmith, or a male at all. Locks of her dark curly black hair peaked out from beneath her fake brown boyish cut wig. Her honey like complexion, with a pair of rosy lips - currently placed in a dissatisfied pout, - added to her feminine appearance. But the feature that was most alluring and captivating was her eyes; her grey stormy eyes that seem to constantly alter colors depending on her mood. Lavender hid a grin as she bent down to pat her horse, Moonlight, lightly on the side of his neck. Right now, Lady Terry's eyes were almost clear green, illustrating her immense displeasure.

"_You _only wish to be back in the castle so you can be near my handsome brother again." Princess Lavender teased lightly and grinned as she heard a sharp intake of breath from the other girl.

"Prince Sirius?" She exclaimed incredulously, "Why in the world would I want to be any where near _him_?" Lady Terry shifted slightly from left to right, avoiding contact with Lavender's piercing brown eyes.

Lavender snorted in disbelief, "Really Terry," she said, exasperated. "You two have known each other for almost all your lives. Why, sometimes I think you know him better than I do, and _I'm_ his sister! Besides, you're always talking about him, it's always Sirius this, or Sirius that. Do you honestly expect me to believe that you feel nothing for him?" She turned and gave the girl riding slightly behind her a questioning look.

Lady Terry blushed and looked down at her hands. Bangs from her boyish brown wig fell down and covered her eyes from view. Her hands were almost white from holding on to the reign so tight in her discomfort. "He does not feel that way towards me your highness. He cares about me, yes, but it's the same way as he cares about you," She said quietly. A tear streaked its way down her cheek, before she angrily swiped it away. "We grew up together, why, he's practically taught me how to walk and talk. I will always be a little sister to him, there is no way that he would ever think of me in any other way." Terry's tone was bitter and defeated and she finally managed to look up and give Lavender a forced, teary smile.

Lavender shook her head disapprovingly, "You need to have confidence in yourself Terry. You know his situation better than me; he doesn't believe anyone could love him like that because of his…condition. He's really changed after that battle a few years back, and He's really lucky to have you." She smiled reassuringly, "He just doesn't know it yet."

Lady Terry sighed unbelievingly, "His condition doesn't stop any of the other ladies at court from chasing him. Besides, I think he is perfect," blushing slightly, she continued, "Just because his…well…It does not make him any less attractive, kind, understanding…" finally realizing that she was babbling, Lady Terry turned pink, quickly tightened her lips and became suddenly interested in the trees by their surroundings.

The forest was quiet with occasional sounds from birds and the rustling of new born leaves, welcoming the spring sun. Light illuminated the pathway, but the forest on either side of them was still somewhat dark, as the sunlight was reflected by the treetops. The sound of hooves almost seemed out of place as the two girls rode along. The road was littered with twigs, fallen leaves and some branches broken off by the late night storm. The grass was still damp with raindrops that glimmered like diamonds as they mirrored the sun's rays. They were a few hours of riding from GriffinHill, where the Countess was sure to stop for a rest. GriffinHill was famous for its delicious bakeries and extravagant Inns, many nobles like to stop by on their journeys.

Lady Terry could almost hear Lavender's mocking grin as she looked around to try and ignore her own embarrassment. True, she was in love with the Prince, but she did not plan to do anything about it. He could never love her, and even if he did, it would mean putting their relationship in jeopardy, and she did not want that. Lovers may last for only a few weeks, but friends last forever. She did want to ever lose him, he meant too much to her, more important than her own life. She still remembered the day that they brought him back to the castle from the Last Battle. He was carried into the gates on a makeshift stretcher as chaos ensued, people rushing in and out, trying to get a better look at the Prince. His head was slumped to the side, visible wounds could be seen all over his body. The most noticeable gash was his left arm, blood was gushing through as thick amounts of the red substance dripped to the ground.

Her heart thumped loudly in her ears, drowning the sound of chaos as she saw him being carried in. She had been worried for days when no letter came from him and hoped that she could see him soon. But this was not how she had wished to see him. When he was placed on to the infirmary bed with servants running to and fro, carrying washcloths and buckets of water that was stained with blood, she just stared blankly at his unmoving body. His face bore a painful expression that pierced through her heart more violently than she had expected. It took a few minutes for her to realize what was happening, and when she did, she had collapsed on the side of the bed and cried strenuously. Her tears flowed for what seemed like an hour before Princess Lavender, summoned by a servant, pulled her gently to her feet and out of the room.

Sighing, she shook her head. She would never forget that moment, how happy she was when she found out that he would live, that he wasn't going to die. But he had changed, he never smiled as much, or joked around like he used to. His body may have not died that night, but his soul and his heart did.

"Terry!" an urgent voice whispered. Lady Terry jerked slightly and quickly looked up at the Princess, who was glancing around with frightened eyes. Terry followed her example, but she saw nothing that seemed out of ordinary.

"What's wrong your highness?" Lady Terry whispered inquiringly, her voice shook slightly with anticipation. Everything seemed unnaturally quiet and still for a few seconds, before suddenly, the flutter of thousands of wings could be heard from the distance. It seems as if all the birds in the forest abruptly took flight at once, almost as if they were fleeing from something. Screeching from small mammals followed as Lady Terry stared with disbelief, there must have been hundreds of squirrels, rabbits, foxes running pass them in hast. The horses paced uneasily, trying to avoid collision, but the animals seemed all too scared to care who, or what they ran into. Suddenly, as if it was an instinct, the horses turned and began to gallop along with the rest of the fleeing creatures. Princess Lavender tugged hard on the reign to retain control of Moonlight and turned her around in time to nearly miss a cloud of sparrows that screeched past her head. Even Orion, Lady Terry's horse, who was normally calm and collected, began to jerk around nervously.

Then, the silence fell thick around them, choking the oxygen from the air. It was hard to breathe, Princess Lavender pressed a hand to her chest, almost as if she was trying to coax her lungs to work. Squinting in the distance, she spotted something crystal white that glistened and loomed closer and closer. The dense mass slowly made its way through the still forest, covering vast areas, and spreading like an epidemic disease. Slowly, spidery thread-like patterns began forming on the bark of the trees, and stretching out to the tips of the leaves and grass that surrounded them.

"Princess! It's frost! The forest is freezing!" Lady Terry's voice was choked and urgent as she watched the silent scene unfold with an alarmed expression.

"RUN!" Lavender screamed, the color drained from her face as realization dawned upon her. "HURRY!" the order was given without hesitation as they turned and raced in the opposite direction. Lady Terry glanced behind her shoulders fearfully as she watched the frost still slowly progressing and the tendrils covering the place where they had once stood. Princess Lavender concentrated on the road before them as she road as hard as she could. She couldn't let IT catch them.

After almost two hours of hard riding, they managed to reach a small town that they had passed through earlier. By then, dawn had fallen, and the passers-by were few. Many gave strange glances at the two disheveled riders, and their tired horses. The pair searched the streets before finally finding a slightly weather beaten Inn that resembled more like a pub. But it was their only option, as the poor stricken town hardly received any visitors and could only afford to have one Inn built for travelers. They stabled their horses, and paid the stable boy four sickles to groom the sweating and tired horses.

"See to it that they are feed and receive water. I want them well rested for the morning." Princess Lavender ordered with a curt nod before she turned and rushed out through the stable doors. Terry, left behind, noticed the young lad's haggard appearance and took out a gallon from her purse. Pressing it in his palm, the malnourished boy's eyes grew wide as he stared at the shimmering gold coin sitting in his hand. Terry winked and felt her heart swell with contentment as he gave her a toothy grin.

Lady Terry watched quietly as Princess Lavender paced back and forth before her in their small room. Dark water stains covered the walls and ceiling and everything seemed to be in a state of decomposition. The tables and beds looked unstable with small holes in the wood, resembling conclusively like the bite marks of insects. The food there wasn't that great, bland chicken stew with stale bread. The windows were shut tightly with two pieces of black rags made to appear like curtains on either side. There was a towel shoved between the crack under the door that looked as if it was going to fall in any second. They spoke in hushed whispers, incase someone was to discover the real identity of the 'Duke of Ghanesbury's personal messengers' – if there was ever such a place or man, they'd never know. They just needed to lay low, and figure out a plan for now

It was quite a funny sight if not for their present situation, Lavender's 'special' stubble spell, still hadn't been removed, her wig was lying on the floor somewhere, and her cascading black hair was loose. She had all the look of a lady, but the stubble had started to grow more, and the ensuing effect was extremely absurd and amusing. Terry's wig was off in a blink as soon as she had stepped into the room, and now, looking at Lavender, she couldn't help but think that the Princess bore a strong resemblance to Irinis. Irinis, A War God, was rumored to be living up in the high mountains of Niandrathol. She was a strong built female, who unnaturally possessed a permanent bread finer than any man's. That was the reason she never came down from her haven, because she was considered to be half man and half woman. It was an old folk's tale of course, passed down from generations of generations ago.

Lady Terry tried to stifle a laugh as she received a death glare from the Princess. The armchair before the fireplace suddenly became slightly uncomfortable under the wrathful gaze of Princess Lavender. Glancing insignificantly around the room, her eyes couldn't help but wonder back at the small beard forming at the bottom of Lavender's chin. She fought the giggles threatening to erupt from her throat. The Princess, realizing what Terry was laughing at, quickly performed a counterspell and blushed slightly.

"We cannot just stand here and do nothing Terry, father has to know about this before it's too late!" Princess Lavender exclaimed before resuming her agitated pacing.

Lady Terry shook her head, not understanding why the other girl was so worried about this, "Don't you remember? We sneaked out your highness, the king would not be pleased if he found out what we are up to."

"Terry! Don't you realize what's going on! What almost happened to us!" Her voice was almost screeching with disbelief as she waved her arms wildly in the air.

Terry shrugged and shook her head, "Freak of nature I guess, maybe somebody was trying to play a trick on us, and decided to use a freezing spell."

"Freak of NATURE! Terry!" Princess Lavender exclaimed, before slumping her shoulders in defeat. She glared at Lady Terry as if she was insane, "Nobody could conjure a freezing spell powerful enough to cover the _whole_ forest. Terry, that was not someone out there…that was someTHING."

Lady Terry felt her heartbeat speed up slightly, "Something? What do you mean by something!" Her tone was anxious as she tightened her fists, her nails digging into the palm of her hand.

Princess Lavender shook her head and didn't reply, turning, she sat before the writing table and pulled out some pieces of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink. Dipping the phoenix quill carefully into the ink bottle, her hands began to work furiously over the parchment that was once blank.

"I have to warn father, this is not right, this is almost impossible. But yet, it's true, we saw it, and we have to find some way to prevent this from spreading. Terry, go find a messenger, I don't care if he's asleep, or if he's sick, or if he's on his death bed for that matter. Get him, and bring him here to deliver this letter. Tell him we shall pay him handsomely." Her tone was dismissive as Lady Terry got up immediately and made her way to the door. Princess Lavender may be her best friend, but she was still royalty, and her orders were inscribed on stone, they had to be obeyed, no questions asked.

A/N: yes I know, kind of short, but too lazy…uhhh…I mean…too busy…to write anymore…sorry! Please leave a review! I love getting reviews!

E/N: BAKA! Don't write that

U'll loose reviewers

I TOLD YOU TO GET BETTER EXCUSES!

exasperated sigh

when will you learn?….

'

A/N: ….grouchy orange fish….


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **OH MY GOD! You have no idea how sorry I am for not updating…I was going to make up a bunch of excuses and lie about why I didn't update…but I think you deserve the truth….I was abducted by aliens and was unfortunately held at their outer space fortress until I agreed to surrender the secret that could lead to the destruction of earth…but do not be alarmed…I managed to use my supernatural powers and escape...and now that I'm finally back home…I can update…

And of course…I just had to dignify a wonderful reviewer with a reply…and you sooo knew this was coming

To: synthetik pleasures

You do not have to worry…everyone will not eat you alive for being such a flamer…yet…but they can if they wish to do so after I finish…oh and p.s. Arabella…who ever you are…I just hope you know that I love you and shall be forever indebted to you…I am your slave…bowslol

first of all…I am glad you are being honest…but if you personally did not like my story…I think one review complaining about it is just fine with me…you did not have to read every chapter and leave a complaint at the end of each one…because honestly…if you hate it so much…it does not really explain why you were reading it beyond the first chapter…because you clearly did not like it from the beginning. Oh and please do not review this story just to tell me that you hate it…as Arabella said…it is childish…because I do have feelings you know…and I did not appreciate it at all…so thank you for stomping on and abolishing my pride.

Okay…you have obviously not read some of the other stories on this site…because if you think my chapters are short…then theirs must not even exist…besides…how long MY chapters are depends on how I want to write the story…if you want longer chapters because you OBVIOUSLY LOVE my story sooo much…there is such a thing called asking nicely…try adding that to your vocabulary. Oh and I'm sorry that my "short" chapters are depressing you…honestly…I don't see how you hate my story when you want to read more of it…:S

sigh…here we go again…my characters ARE acting normally…have you ever considered why the site is called fan fiction? …well let me tell you…because FANS write it…if my story revolved too much around the original book…then it wouldn't be my story…it would just be a cheap copy of something someone else created. Oh and by the way…I'm sorry my characters are "out-of-character", as I am sure for your stories…Harry and Draco have an obvious attraction to each other and that is totally IN-character.

…yes…I do know that my story is "irrelevant"…man…I think I liked my first flamer better…her/his criticism was somewhat relevant at least…oh and please…I assure you…there is nothing "screwing" my story at the moment…so therefore…it cannot be "screwed up" as you so nicely put it

here I would like to quote you on what you wrote

"_wtf is with this story? its completly different. you just made your own story and borrowed the names! theyre out of charachter, out of context and there is no mention of muggles or magic and thats the whole Fing point! no offense but this is screwed up. i dont like it. the writing is also bad. shame on you. come back when you have a point_."

First of all, I shall take "_its completly different_" (spelling mistake on your part there) as a compliment, because frankly, I do not believe in writing stories that are exactly the same as the original, because honestly, that is just boring.

Of course I just made my own story and borrowed the names! What? You want me to not make my own story! Then I suppose we all have to start plagiarizing in order to please you won't we?

I didn't mention muggles because they are not involved in my story, if you don't like it, too bad, go read some story that involves muggles

Muggles and magic are definitely NOT the whole entire point, if that is the only reason why you read fanfiction or the original Harry Potter, then I am sorry to say that you have MISSED the point of the story

Please do not swear

Yes my writing is bad, I know, and you're right, everybody that writes "bad" should all just stop trying. Because this is all very serious, fanfiction is not to be taken lightly because the fate of the world rests on the basis of only having good stories being posted up. People that write bad, such as myself, should all just stop posting up stories because it obviously disorients master writers such as yourself.

I am soooo ashamed

And yes I shall come back when I have a point, oh and by the way, what could be a possible point in these stories? You mean like morals? How about "never drink soap!" or "Always wear clothing!" ouuu! Not bad huh!

I'm sorry if any of this offends you, frankly, I don't give a monkey's red swollen behind because your flames offended me even more. We're even.

Reply to Sparrow's Lovely Lass:

Lol, the first time I read your name, I thought it was Sparrow's Lovely Ass…must have missed the L…or just not thinking appropriately at the time. I completely understand why you think my story is confusing, it is because I purposely made it that way. I'm trying to build up to the plot, if everyone understood too well what was happening, then they might be able to guess the ending and become bored. we can't have that now can we?

Reply to MolestAPeanut:

Love your name first of all…Lol…and let me explain to everybody that was confused, Snape did not try to poison her. Remember in the woods? When she saved McGonagall, but she herself took all the spells that they threw at her. When the effects came in, she fainted from the pain, so Snape, being excellent at potions, was simply giving her an antidote. Which she thought was poison. I hope that clarifies it, if you guys are confused about something, please don't hesitate to ask! I'd be happy to try to explain my corrupted writing!

Reply to PoopDog:

AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHchoke AHAHA coff kuah..ewwaaaaahhh..bbbllleeehhhh drops dead

**E/N:** woah…long A/N there (but worth it), I totally agree with PoopDog thumbs up

And here's my – condensed – message for our little flamer up there..

You simply _disgust_ the shit outta me.

And frankly I'm not wasting more breath than I have to, replying to your so called 'flames' so just take my advice:

Get a life.

Chapter Eight

Lady Ginny stared disbelievingly at the piece of offending parchment placed out in front of her. Every word seemed to reach inside her heart and carve itself again and again upon her burning flesh, embedding their cruel meaning deeper into her soul. The contrast of each black letter written on the white parchment blared out and mocked her without mercy. Her ears became red and throbbing as an increasing heartbeat pounded in her head like thunder. She took weak, laboured breaths, her bottom lip quivering in the effort. The room suddenly went cold and she felt shivers crawling up and down her spine, as if someone placed a freezing spell over her quavering body.

Slowing rising to her feet from the chair, she grabbed the letter in her trembling hands and held it a distance away from her body, as if afraid it would consume her. The cold became more evident as she felt the rest of her body begin to shiver; she stumbled blindly around before grabbing the edge of the table for support. Ginny dragged herself towards the fireplace and gazed deep into the burning flames. The letter crumbled in her fist as a drop of tear slowly made its way down her pale white cheeks. Swiping it away angrily with the back of her hand, she watched in daze and resentment as the flames in the hearth mingled and entwined with each other.

How could he? How could he do this to her? After all that he had promised, after all that they had planned together? Her expression became weary and distraught as one tear after another trailed down her pain stricken face. She had known from the beginning that their forbidden love would not last. Yet the very idea of it thrilled her like nothing she had ever felt before. The pounding of her heart when he drew near had drowned any common sense that might have surfaced. His touch made her yearn for more than just his presence; she wanted his spirit, his soul; she wanted to crush her lips against his and grind herself against his hard body. She had tried to convince herself that she was merely infatuated with him, that she did not need him. Yet, that night, two summers ago, when she found herself crying beside his wounded body, she knew, that she could not live without him.

Her mixed emotions pushed against each other to gain control over her mind and soul. She loved him, yes, but her hatred for him was overbidding. She wanted to kiss those perfectly shaped masculine lips as much as she wanted to rip them from his over-egoistical face.

A sharp rapping at her door shook her from her grief. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and wiped away any remaining tears from her cheeks. She glanced down and quickly smoothed her dress and patted her hair. Without so much as a second glance, she threw the crumbled parchment into the fire and turned away from the flames as it consumed the cause of her misery.

"Ginny? It's Susan. Everybody is waiting for you! Hurry! Or your Lord uncle will become even more displeased…providing that's possible." She muttered the last part darkly. Susan smiled as the Lady Ginny stepped out to greet her. "I saw a messenger here moments ago – I hope it wasn't anything urgent."

Ginny gave a forlorn smile as she gently shook her head. "Nothing urgent, just my anxious father enquiring about my well being, he is always needlessly troubled about everything."

Susan laughed, "Maybe he has just received notice that my Lord Severus Snape is to be your chaperon this season. I'm sure the thought of his defenselessly daughter being in the constant presence of the _'vampire bat'_ is not an appealing image."

Ginny forced a tiny smile as she walked past Susan towards the staircase, her heart still contracting painfully within her chest. Missing the concerned look plastered on the other girl's face, Ginny hastened her steps down the stairs, raking her brain for a response that will prevent Susan from detecting her current depression, "I do not think he is that worried. Uncle Severus would not harm me – in front of my ever so lenient aunt that is." She finished sarcastically, practically flying down the last few wooden steps.

"Well it's best that next time you present yourself when asked," A soft voice hissed from behind her, "Or this _Uncle Severus _will be forced to decapitate his _charming_ niece – your ever so lenient aunt being present or otherwise."

Turning, Ginny smiled sheepishly at her uncle before putting on her best innocent face, making sure to pout her lips and bat her eye lashes, giving herself a close resemblance to a four year old begging for candy. Before he could comment on her ridiculous facial expression, she turned again and bolted in the opposite direction; she certainly could do without a lashing from his sharpened tongue at the moment. Rushing out from the giant doors of the Mountain Inn, she was greeted with the sight of three carriages and a few tailing wagons filled with supplies. At least two dozen soldiers stood immobile, already at their designated posts – chosen for its easy defense against any attack – and a handful of knights mounted on their mares and stallions, giving last minute instructions to the soldiers and hand signaling instructions to each other when there was any change. She immediately recognized Sir Ollivander of Stoneridge and Corporal Vernon of PrivetDrive, whom were already at each other's throats, the shooting daggers evident in between their glares.

Her attention drifted to a handsome young knight sitting on a white warhorse beside Sir Ollivander. He looked extremely tall and lean with sandy blond hair and dark brown eyes; it took her a few seconds to realize that he was staring right back at her with an attractive smile hanging from his lips. He gave a small wink before raising his hand to his chest in a mock bow, Ginny hardly had enough time to blush as servants rushed up to her and ushered her into the second carriage. Too depressed to complain about the rough handling she was receiving, Ginny obediently climbed into the carriage, holding the door frame for support. Inside, she was greeted by an expressionless Countess and a cheerful Hannah that could not seem to stop shifting right and left in her excitement.

"Isn't it just _lovely_ Ginny? We're going to be reaching the castle tonight – _and_ it's going to be in the companionship of all these handsome men!" She giggled to herself as she craned her neck out the window to pick out who was going to be her future knight in shinning armor.

Lady Ginny could not help but smile as Hannah attempt to catch the eye of the soldier standing post beside her window. She even went as far as to drop her handkerchief right before his eyes and then put her hand to her lips in fake embarrassment. Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation when she realized that Hannah was using her voice-reserved-for-handsome-men to ask the poor boy to hand her possession back to her. Seeming to suddenly change her mind, and her voice still three octaves higher, she giggled and told the confused looking soldier that he could keep her handkerchief as a souvenir.

The carriages lurched forward as Ginny settled herself on her leather seat and sighed. Closing her eyes, she rested the side of her head against the window, her mind slowly drifting back to the letter. She really needed to speak to Hermione; she was the only one who knew about Ginny's secret relationship – with _him_.

She tried to keep her tone just mildly curious as she turned to the elderly lady sitting across from her, "Aunt McGonagall, have you per chance seen Hermione? Why is she not with us?"

The Countess smirked with an evil glimmer in her left eye that Ginny found moderately horrifying, "Don't worry about a thing Ginny, she's in excellent care."

Hermione's P.O.V

When she had finally found the strength to leave her bed and get dressed, Hermione felt considerably ashamed of herself. The Countess came to have a talk with her not long after Susan had left in a hurry. By then, she had been sure the Duke was making a fair attempt at poisoning her. When she was finally informed that the rude man was actually trying to help her by making her swallow a potion with ingredients that had cost him nearly a fortune, she had turned beet red and refused to look at her mistress in the eye.

Now, helped by several servants, she stood outside the giant doors of the Mountain Inn. Hermione could already begin to feel beads of sweat forming along her hairlines as the steaming sun burned down mercilessly. Just when she thought things couldn't be worse, a strong gust of wind picked up dirt off the ground and blew them straight on to Hermione's sticky skin. Groaning, she hid the top half of her face behind her hands as she tried to prevent sand particles from entering her eyes. Still feeling as if all her strength had been forcefully removed from her body, Hermione swayed slightly on her feet. It seemed the potion could only reduce the pain to a moderate level, yet it was still enough to make Hermione grit her teeth to prevent herself from crying. Three pairs of hands held her up to prevent her from falling, and steadied her slowly to her feet. Hermione shrugged them off in irritation, she couldn't believe the Countess would assign the three most annoying females she has ever encountered in her life to help her. She could see one of the serving girls smiling gently at her from her side; Hermione could hardly contain rolling her eyes. They treated her as if she was going to die, constantly speaking to her in hushed voices and giving her encouraging looks. Hermione has never been more disgusted in her life. Looking around, she couldn't help feeling incompetent and useless as she watched Hannah, Susan along with other servants rushing around before her, waving their wands and using the limited spells that they knew to help load up the wagons and carriages.

Hearing a stifled giggle on her left, Hermione turned to look at a blushing serving girl named Petunia – who in Hermione's opinion – was the worst of the three. The bony brunette had an over loaded urge to push her long nose in other people's business. She constantly gossiped to her friends, making every second Hermione spent with her unbearable. And that's not to say much, only ten minutes after meeting her, Hermione felt like ripping her lips off her over-fraudulent face and using them to block her over-exercised throat. Ignoring Hermione's disgusted look, Petunia made eye contact with her friends and nodded towards the wagons before bursting into another fit of giggles. Hermione pulled a face before turning her head along with the other two girls to see what was so interesting. Five men stood closely huddled together as they all investigated what appeared to be a map. A stubby man with a short neck and dark brown hair was waving his chubby arms up and down in exasperation, his face red with fury. Another young fellow who seemed to be a perfect replica of the first man only heavier in weight nodded in his approval as he pointed his plump index finger to the map once more, as if to provide a supporting point to his view. The others, however, did not seem thoroughly convinced as a distinguished looking man in his late forties shook his head and consulted the map once more, completely disregarding the pudgy man and his friend.

Hermione felt a strong urge to find out what these men were arguing so intensely about, it was quite obvious that the group seemed to be split in two and vigorously detested each other. So intrigued upon the group of males, Hermione almost shrieked when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Come Hermione," said the Countess with a half smile, as she steered her towards the cluster of shouting men, making sure that she supported most of Hermione's weight against her.

Hermione drew tentative steps towards the group that automatically stopped arguing at the Countess's purposeful approach. Hermione felt slightly faint by the time they were within conversation distance as her legs threatened to give away beneath her. Not used to showing weakness, she bit down hard on her tongue and squared her shoulders. The men cast the Countess an apprehensive look before bowing low enough to show courtesy to her status.

"Hermione, I want you to meet Sir Ollivander of Stoneridge," said the Countess in a formal tone. The man in his late forties and shoulder length grey hair stepped forward and inclined his head towards her, acknowledging her presence. Hermione did not hesitate before grabbing a fist full of her skirt and curtsied the amount designated for a knight. By the time she stood back up, her teeth were firmly gritted together to prevent herself from screaming at the stinging pain currently shooting through her legs with lightening speed.

"And this, is Corporal Vernon of PrivetDrive" she continued, as a chubby man gave Hermione a disapproving glance before contorting his face to what closely resembled a smile that seemed discomforting at the same time. "His squire and only son, Dudley of PrivetDrive," persisted the Countess as she pointed towards the mass of flesh that grinned nastily at Hermione before raking his gaze hungrily over her body that made Hermione squirm uncomfortably. Shooting them both a small scowl that was quickly hid by an expected, but painful curtsy, Hermione fixed her eyes intently on the other men, making sure not to let her eyes drift over the irritating father and son again.

"Justin of Finchcove, second in command to Corporal Vernon, appointed by Severus himself," the Countess said with an approving smile that made the handsome young man blush deep crimson.

"My lady, you do me honor," Justin of Finchcove smoothly replied with a graceful bow, "and it is also my honor to meet such a beautiful lady," as his eyes met Hermione's, the corners of his mouth quirked in an attractive smile that seemed devious at the same time.

Completely unaffected by his obvious charm, Hermione inclined her head and replied evenly, "The pleasure is all mine," Her voice strangely monotone as Justin raised a perfect masculine eyebrow and smirked, his thoughts were obvious; finally – a challenge.

The others standing near by seemed unimportant to the Countess as the introductions were discontinued, "These men are all under the command of Severus, and has followed him for a very long time," the Countess said with a smile, "Sir Ollivander of Stoneridge is a trusted adviser and friend, and Corporal Vernon has been in charge of a forth of the Lord's army for almost a decade now."

"I am honored to be in the presence of such heroes," Hermione lifted her skirt and curtsied once more, the pain almost unbearable as she almost lost her balance if not for the Countess who gripped her elbow tightly.

Sir Ollivander chuckled softly to himself, "We are no heroes, sweet lil' lady, though some of us tend to pretend we are."

Obvious who he directed this towards; Hermione quickly diverted her gaze as a loud growl was emitted from Corporal Vernon of PrivetDrive. "Better than some old man who should have retired years ago." Thoroughly pleased with himself, he gave a challenging look towards Sir Ollivander, who grinned in reply.

"I couldn't possibly imagine whom you speak of Corporal; perhaps you'd like to enlighten us." He raised a slightly grey eyebrow and smiled all too kindly.

"Yes, Corporal," added Justin of Finchcove, "please, educate us."

Vernon of PrivetDrive darted his eyes and gave an apprehensive glance towards the Countess, who regarded him indifferently. He hesitated and shifted his bulk slowly on his feet, it was no secret that the Countess was close acquaintances with Ollivander, and he dared not affront the old man outright at the risk of being in McGonagall's disfavor. Vernon's face turned a dark shade of red as he gritted his teeth and racked his brain for something to say.

"Are we prepared to leave yet?" a voice hissed, sounding intensively annoyed and displeased. Everyone but the Countess and Hermione quickly bowed towards Duke Severus Snape of KingValley. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could see the obvious appreciative glances that the three annoying female impersonators gave towards the imposing man. Feeling absolutely disgusted with their nauseating behavior, Hermione quickly moved a few spaces away from them; the sight of their eyelashes batting faster than Hermione imagined possible was giving her a headache.

Shifting her gaze towards the tall irritable figure that was currently standing with his arms crossed. Hermione regarded the Duke with a defiant look and almost burst out laughing; his dark complexion had a sharp contrast against what seem to be the brightest of all days. His face contorted into a painful grimace, as if the sun's light was carving out pieces of his flesh one by one. 'Serves him right,' Hermione thought. If not for the present company, Hermione would have clearly voiced her opinion that he resembled a disobedient toddler who just been told to go to his room, either that, or a vampire bat that's nailed to the ground beneath the Sun God and is slowly disintegrating while still howling with pain. The second seemed so much more appealing as Hermione gave him a toothy grin and almost attempted to try her evil laugh out loud.

"Severus! There you are, I was just introducing to Hermione some of your men," Said the Countess pleasantly, ignoring the Duke's scathing glare.

"Since when has it become mandatory to be introduced to servants?" He replied, his voice bored and uninterested, "We are leaving _immediately_!" Severus Snape shouted to his men whom didn't need to be told twice before bowing deeply and walking towards their respective posts. Hermione, deciding to ignore his earlier comment, watched with interest as the knights and commanders mounted their horses as the foot soldiers stood by in even numbers along their designated carriages.

"Ginny!" Hermione said urgently, "I haven't seen her yet!"

The Duke emitted an exasperated growl before shouting, "Susan! Go fetch that wretched girl at once!" without waiting to see if his order has been heard, he extended a hand towards the Countess and led her towards the second carriage while Hermione and the three serving girls followed. Helping the elderly lady onto the carriage, Hermione gathered up her skirts and attempted to follow when a hand shot out and blocked her way.

"What do you want?" She hissed, daring him to give an unsatisfying reply.

"However much I loath to even think about it _MAID_, you will be riding with me." He smirked at her shocked and disgusted expression and didn't wait for a reply before grabbing her elbow and dragging her roughly behind him. Hermione could not stop the soft whimper that escaped her throat as her legs erupted in what seemed like burning flames. She could feel her bones creak within her contorted flesh as she emitted another, louder whimper that immediately caught the Duke's attention. Turning, he gave her red shot eyes a disgusted look before pulling her towards him, slightly more gentle this time, and grabbed the underside of her knees with his right arm and hauled her up to his chest. Ignoring the disgusted noises she was emitting as she pushed her arms against him to try and escape; he carried her firmly onto the first carriage before disposing her – a bit more harshly than necessary – onto the leather seats.

Hermione made sure the Duke received her death threatening glare as she watched him step back outside without so much as a second glance at her. She watched with hatred through the window as he walked purposefully back towards the Mountain Inn. Seconds later, he reappeared behind a slightly disheveled looking Ginny that seemed slightly dazed as she took in her surroundings before four servants rushed up to the lady and began to gently push and tug her towards the second carriage. Hermione could not but feel a pang of jealousy as she realized Ginny was going to ride with the Countess and Hannah while she was stuck with Frankensnape.

The Duke, followed closely by Susan, ambulated towards her with his normal scowl plastered on his face. Climbing onto the carriage, he chose to ignore her once more and sat on the far corner on the opposite side, as far away from her as possible. Hermione didn't mind at all as she was greeted enthusiastically by a cheerful Susan. As soon as both were settled, the Duke looked outside the window to where Sir Ollivander was waiting on horseback expectantly. Nodding his head, Duke Severus Snape gave a sharp hand motion to Sir Ollivander, who inclined his head in comprehension and rode out of Hermione's view. Shortly following, Hermione heard a firm masculine voice give an order to move out. The Carriage lurched forward immediately, surrounded by the sound of hooves and marching soldiers.

"I demand to know why I am not accompanying my mistress at once!" Hermione cried accusingly at the Duke.

Without so much as a flinch, he shifted his eyes slowly to meet hers before looking out the window once more. Hermione could see Susan waving frantically at her and shaking her head, warning her not to say anymore, but Hermione refused to give up so easily.

"Are you deaf _SIRE_?" Her tone became sarcastic as she regarded him with disgust. This time, he did not even bother to spare her a glance and simply pretended that she did not exist.

"Are you so afraid of humiliating yourself that you are refusing to speak at all? A good choice I must say, however –" before Hermione could finish, she was cut short by the Duke suddenly lunging forward and cornering her head between his arms once more.

"If you wish to return to your mistress _MAID_, you may do so! But I'll have you know that it is at HER request that you remain with me until your condition can be further explained! We do NOT know what spells the Deatheaters threw at you so UNLESS you want to suffer a horrible death – no matter how _pleasing_ it sounds to me – then I suggest you SHUT your FILTHY servant mouth. I have suffered ENOUGH from you! I am a COMMANDER! And instead of _riding_ I am forced to stay in these pitiful carriages like some _weak woman_! Do I need to remind you again of your position! You do NOT and will not EVER speak to me like that again! Do I make myself _clear_!" His face was red with fury by the time he was done shouting at Hermione, who only felt for a split second sorry for the man. Yet the split second did not last long as she began to scream back.

"I did NOT ask you to help me so you can stop thinking that I should be grateful to you! Do you think I asked to have spells thrown at me when all I was trying to do was protect my mistress! NO! I did not! So you can stop screaming at me as if this is all MY fault! I didn't chain you that that seat so you can go hump your horse any time you'd like! I can and I WILL speak to anyone however I'd like and it's none of your bloody business! Do I make MYSELF clear!" Hermione was breathing heavily as she envisioned daggers shooting out from her eyes and hitting their target straight in the center.

The silence that followed became increasingly tense as both members refused to divert their glares away from the other.

Feeling this was the right time to cut in before they killed each other, Susan quickly began rambling as if nothing had ever happened. "I'm glad you met Sir Ollivander Hermione," she exclaimed excitedly, "he's the nicest man that I have ever met! Though he has a nasty habit of over thinking, it sometimes takes him days to make a simple decision of whether to buy the white stallion or the brown mare. Every little factor down to the size of the horses' eye balls must be measured and considered before Ollivander would make a move."

By now, Hermione had lost complete interest in the Duke and was looking Susan with wide eyes, making it evident that she thought the other girl must be out of her mind. Severus Snape seem to have forgotten about both of their existences as he immediately performed a well practiced and over used silence spell around himself, hoping to spare his ears.

"Of course, then there's that wretched man Vernon, or Vermin we call him, though that isn't quite an accurate description for the size of him. Anyways, I'm sure you met his personal servant Petunia, that bony woman with a long neck, mind you, that's not a bad thing, she has enough neck to make up for his lack of it. What was I saying again? Oh yes, she only _pretends_ to be only his maid, but everyone who's heard of them at all knows that she's his personal whore. The son, Dudley; Vermin says that the mother is his wife, but everyone knows he got his whore Petunia pregnant, and to save his face he made his real wife and Petunia stay inside for nine months straight, not seeing anyone, so nobody would be sure who was the one that actually conceived the fat little fart. Of course, servants gossip more than anyone else, and before you know it, almost the whole Kingdom has heard of what that Vermin and his nosey little whore did. The good thing is that the Vermin junior doesn't even know his real mother is a servant, and he treats her like shit, he's been kicking and beating on her ever since he was born. It's God's revenge on them I tell you." Susan took a deep breath before continuing with her story, "Now that Justin, he's a totally different story. Flower boy to the heart, he chases after pretty women none stop, I'm sure I saw him eyeing you with more than just a slight interested look back there. Anyways, a lady's man he might be, but a mean one with a sword. Once during battle, their camp site was attacked during the middle of the night, and Vermin was dumb enough to get himself drunk, and supposedly there were giggles coming from his tent as well, it sounded like a cow so everyone's guessing it must be Petunia, since her nickname is 'Cow'. Where was I again? Oh right, anyways, so their camp site was attacked, and Justin was just a soldier then, but most people respected him and they listened to him when he called them together. The real second in command at the time was too scared to even cry for his mother, so he just let Justin take control over everything, and pretty soon, he got his ass kicked out of milord's favor and milord put Justin in second command instead. A good choice if you as me and –" Susan stopped short as she realized that Hermione's eyes were closed and her head was leaned against the side.

She leaned in closely and peered at Hermione's face, as if hoping she'd wake up any second. After several moments, she finally gave up and sat back down, "Oh well, guess you must have been tired." Susan sighed, feeling lonely due to the lack of talking partners and began humming to herself while looking distractedly out the window.

Hermione tentatively lifted her left eyelid, making sure the crack was only big enough to see. She felt immediately relieved that Susan had bought her sleeping act, and allowed herself a small smile of triumph. Which unknowingly to her, the secretive smile was noticed immediately by Susan, who only grinned and shook her head. Her main goal had been to stop the Duke and Hermione from fighting, and though her throat could now use a large pitcher of water, she had achieved what she was aiming for – though unsure how long it was going to last.

**A/N: **cha cha cha cha cha CHA! cha cha cha cha cha CHA! I am finally done-NE! OH YA…WHO'S DA BEST…UH HUH! YOU KNOW IT! OH YA YA YA! OH YA YA YA! Oh and I just finished reading the sixth book, and HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO MY POOR SEVVIE! SUCH A HERO HE WAS! NOW HE IS RUINED! HIS POPULARITY! DOWN THE DRAIN! OH WHY OH WHY OH WHY? I would keep on talking about some other stuff I read, which I have already typed but deleted, since I realize not everyone must have read it, and me screwing up the story for you is inconsiderate. So ya…READ IT!

**E/N : **heh… while im not really too worried about sevvie, he has his reasons.. im more concentrated on the partner JKR chose for Harry. thank you lord.. my prayers have been answered ! does victory dance

**A/N: **grumbles heartless beast! You heartless heartless beast! sob my poor sevvie poo! WWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

_**E/N:** (sigh) there, there..(pat on back)_

**A/N:** WWWAAAAA! (SOB) WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAA! (sniff)

WWWAAAAHHHHHHHH!

_**E/N:** okay, okay…calm down…it's gonna be okay (sweatdrop)_

**A/N:**

WWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

_**E/N:** Oh for the love of-_

_Argh! stop crying you ninny!_

_STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!_

_(Takes author by shoulders and shakes her violently)_

**A/N**: IT'S NOT FFFFFFFFFFFFFAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRR! (SOB) Over two THOUSAND HITS! and I only get a COUPLE of reviews!

WHAAAT? WHAT IS THIS?

(sob)

How could they?

_**E/N**: (sigh…somebody save me) yes, yes..oh the terror..how dreadful..i am_

_positively shaking in my pants..bu..hu..wah..wah.._

_please, SAVE ME FROM HER CONSTANT WHINING! WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE JUST LEAVE_

_HER A BLOODY REVIEW? _

_You don't have to tell her the truth! tell her what she wants to hear!_

_Ohhh..(evil plan forming)..hhheeyyy! look at what I have..is that?..oh yes I_

_think it is..IT'S A - !_

**A/N:** CCCOOOKKKIIIEEE! (drools – flaps large arms to reach cookie)

_**E/N:** (slaps hand on author's face while author tries to reach cookie)_

_(yawns) my my..what a delicious looking cookie..yuuummmmmmm..oh_

_dear..too bad nobody wants it! BWWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH!_

**A/N:** GIVE ME THE COOKIE! MUST HAVE COOKIE!

_**E/N:** fine, fine..only if you stop crying!_

**A/N:** OKAY OKAY OKAY! (drools)

_**E/N:** (breaks off small crumb) There you go dearie...(runs away as fast_

_as possible while eating cookie)_

**A/N:** NNNNNNNNNOOOOO! DAMN YOU ORANGE FISH! DAMN YOU!(shakes fist while falling on knees)

**Chapter nine**

Hermione had never felt more tired as her head bumped continuously against the window pane. The road was mostly silent, filled with occasional hushed whispers as the last visible piece of the sun fell behind the snowcapped peak of a far away mountain.

There was no more talk or laughter as the Company grew silent, worn and weary from the long day's travel. The path had not been a pleasant one. By mid afternoon, the winds had picked up its speed, blinding the soldiers and nauseating the horses. The sun burned through their skins, burrowing its way greedily into their flesh. Drenched in sweat and dirt, they pushed on, hoping for the early arrival of the well anticipated nightfall.

The sight of the weather beaten soldiers had not been kind on her moral beliefs. Hermione had long ago drawn up the curtains, in a fruitless attempt to block out their envious gazes and save herself from being plagued with guilt. But Mother Nature had not abandoned them completely. The winds had finally died down; their fury setting with sun, and the Company was finally left in peace and quiet.

Hermione sighed. She felt slightly isolated when Susan's endless chatter had ceased and the girl fell into a deep slumber. Hermione glanced over at her sleeping friend, and saw her head lolling at a dangerous angle against the curtained window. Smiling silently, she ripped her gaze off Susan and returned to surveying their path. The road was too quiet, and there were no books or scrolls at her disposal. Her tired gaze fell on the dark man currently writing furiously onto a piece of worn out parchment. His eyes were narrowed and his brows furrowed together as he made random corrections to something he had earlier written.

The Duke still pointedly ignored her presence. He had not directed a single comment towards her, except for the occasional healing potion he had forced her to drink. Even so, the transaction was done through Susan, who took the potion bottle grudgingly from her master, and then placed it into Hermione's hands. She could tell Susan did not appreciate being the messenger, especially since the distances between the correspondences were minimal. _'However, neglect does seem to be more appealing than being at the receiving end of his lashing comments_' she added as an afterthought.

Hermione studied him closely, his lips were thinned, showing great displeasure at what ever it was he was reading, and the pen in his hand was clearly receiving punishment for it. His hair was falling loosely around his narrow face, having managed to escape from the ribbon he had used earlier. He would glance up occasionally, his dark pupils skimmed the surroundings, analyzing their position and the scenery before looking back down again.

Every hour, he would receive brief reports, informing him of their current location and of any problems that arose. From the short transmitted messages, Hermione understood that they were quickly approaching a small village of some sorts. It was also clarified what Sir Ollivander and Corporal Vernon had been arguing so intensely about before departure. They both had spent quite some time riding close to the carriage to voice their contradicting opinions to Lord Snape.

Corporal Vernon had insisted that the Company stop for a rest at the small village, and continue on towards the castle the next morning. His supporting points were that the Countess and Lady Ginny, being noble women, would not be able to withstand the long journey.

Yet in the end, it was Sir Ollivander of Stoneridge who won the argument. The elderly man wanted to continue riding, since the palace is only about three hours ride from the small village. He had insisted that the faster they reach the castle the better, and, he had added, the village was too small and too poor to be able to support, feed and house the Company. It would trouble the villagers if they suddenly received forty extra mouths to feed and to find room to pass the night.

The sound of gentle knocking on the Duke's side of the window made Hermione look up and stiffen slightly. She almost sighed out loud with relief when she realized it was Justin of Finchcove, and not Corporal Vernon or his son, whom had both reported twice earlier.

"The village is within sight Milord," said Justin, his eyes briefly darted towards Hermione as he smiled. Hermione returned the smile with a small nod of her head, still finding herself immune to his smooth manner and obvious interest in her.

The Duke, noting the exchange, clenched his jaw and gave the other man a hard look, "We will pass through it with as little disturbance as possible," Severus Snape ordered as he leaned his head out the window slightly as his voice dropped down to a whisper,

"Do not forget you are on duty Finchcove," he hissed, "Any wooing can be done after we've reached the castle," he inclined his head towards Hermione, "You would do well to leave this one alone, she is a commoner, and you are a noble, the chances of you marrying her are zilch. So if it _is_ a quick fuck you are looking for, McGonagall's personal maid should not look that tempting."

The Duke's expression was indifferent as he leaned back, his eyes settling once again down to the roll of parchment he had been reading earlier. Hermione noted that Justin's face had become flustered as he quickly bowed and eased his horse into a gallop with a slight snap of the rein.

Hermione blinked slowly, what could he have told Justin that he obviously did not want her or Susan to hear? Probably something degrading towards servants, she thought, but then again, he had never seen an issue with throwing her status in her face before. Shrugging, Hermione pulled on her side of the curtains gently and stuck her head out for a better view.

The cold air gently caressed her cheeks as Hermione took a long deep breath, one, she realized with relief, that did not fill her lungs with dirt. Her earlier feelings of being caged-in seem to disappear immediately. The slight wind made her eyes water as she quickly brushed the tears that had formed and squinted her eyes.

Sir Ollivander's description had been accurate. The small village looked as if it was going to collapse any second. The plastered and brick walls had cracks big enough for small sheep to enter with ease, and the roofs were clearly made out of hay, extremely unstable during storms.

When they passed by the first house, Hermione could see clearly just to what extent the village was damaged. The windows, if existent at all, were pasted with parchment that had turned an ugly shade of yellow due to the constant weathering. Doors were nonexistent, instead, animal skin or some other sort of cloth dangled from the doorframe and fluttered slightly in the wind. Her carriage slowly crawled by another house, this one looking slightly more disheveled than the former ones. She saw a small shadow against the parchment windows. Glancing through a large hole in the wall right beside the window, she caught a glimpse of a rail-thin disheveled boy, clutching a ragged stuffed toy in a dimly lit room. Although calling the toy ragged was more of an incorrect term, because the poor thing looked horribly mutilated. The boy, gave a sharp gasp at being seen, and scurried under a beaten piece of furniture as Hermione's carriage passed slowly by.

Hermione felt tears forming at the edge of her eyes._ How could a place so close to the palace and right under the King's nose be reduced to this? Were they not the King's people as well?_ She felt anger pulsate through her veins as she gripped the edge of the window tightly, her knuckles turning white in the effort. Her thoughts drifted to the thief hole where she had grown up, poor and hungry. Stealing anything she could to just have enough to feed herself and the others that lived there.

The image of a kind man in his late forties drifted into her mind and Hermione eased her death grip slightly. She was forever in Remus' debt. It was he who had found her and her brother Harry at his door step with a note from their biological parents, explaining that they did not have enough money to feed the two children any longer. Deep down, Hermione didn't know whether to hate her parents for abandoning her, or to understand that they did what they must.

The '_thief hole'_ was the nickname the townspeople gave to the unknown underground location. The armies owned by Horace of SlughornMountain had been trying to locate it for years. You could say that the Earl Horace hated them with a passion. Hermione did not blame him, since his own home was often the destination for their trained invasions.

Yet no one thought to suspect the nice Orphanage owner Remus Lupin who had done so much for the poor children. Nor did they perceive that the thieves were sometimes children under the age of ten.

Hermione wanted to laugh at their idiocy. The people of SlughornMountain were no better than Death Eaters. They robbed, killed, lied, and cheated as often as they could for personal gain. They would betray their families to save their own skin and turn on the very people that raised them without so much as a blink or a twich of a muscle. Soon, some even began to leave their children at Remus' door step, too lazy and too cheap to raise their own flesh and blood.

Hermione hated to steal, yet she did what she must. On every one of their 'missions', she would tell herself that these people deserved it. And they did. If they were cold enough to abandon their children, then Hermione would take back what was rightfully theirs. They would rob the families of their jewels and treasures, which would pay to supply food to the children that they had carelessly discarded.

Sighing, she looked once again out the window. She had left that life behind when she had encountered the Countess, and vowed the serve the noble lady to the best of her abilities. She would feel guilty sometimes. The whole entire meeting with the Countess had been a staged set up that they had planned for weeks, knowing when the Countess would be in town. Yet she had no choice, she needed some way to help Remus support the orphans, and serving under the Countess would provide a steady pay that she could send back to them.

The sound of the carriage wheels bumping and lurching against the uneven ground seemed to awaken the silent village. One by one, candles were lit from behind each door as a dim glow surrounded them. Several curious villagers peeked out from behind their 'doors' as the Company continued to travel through in silence.

Susan stirred slightly from her sleep as they suddenly came to an abrupt stop. She opened one bleary eye after another and blinked, "Whass happngh?" She released an enormous yawn, and managed to gain control of herself halfway through. She blushed at Hermione's glance, as she stretched out her arms and asked innocently, "Are we there yet?"

Hermione shook her head as she strained her neck as far as it can go to get a better view of the front of the Company. Maybe there was an obstacle ahead that prevented them from moving.

Frowning as she heard voices arguing up ahead, she tried unsuccessfully to push herself to a standing position in order to lean further out the window. It only took two seconds before her numb useless legs gave out from beneath her. Hermione landed with an ungraceful '_thud_' back on to the red leather seats.

Hermione could hear someone, a soldier perhaps, running in their direction. Using her arms, she pushed and shifted herself until she was sitting directly in front of Duke Snape, who only spared her a disgusted glance before turning back to his window.

A young man around the age of twenty five bowed before reporting in a whisper, "There are two men on horses blocking the road Milord."

The Duke's gaze turned ugly as he regarded at the cowering man, "Are you so incompetent that you cannot order them to step aside? Or are you going to start stopping the Company for every ant colony that crosses your path? Remove them by force if you must! I will not tolerate this nonsense!"

The man hesitated and then stuttered, "C-Corporal Vernon has ordered them to move in the name of the King, b-but…" Clearly intimidated by the Duke's seething gaze, he rushed the rest of his message with his eyes firmly glued to his feet, "They refuse to move until they have spoken to the Countess."

A growl rumbled from deep within the Duke's throat as his eyes narrowed into tiny slits, "Tell them if they do not step aside immediately, _someone_ will be charged with two cases of murder before the moon even rises tonight."

Fear, apprehension, and many other emotions chased across the young man's face untill he steeled himself, and bowed to the Duke, before jogging back to the head of the Company. More voices were heard and Hermione winced at the unmistakable sound of steel blades being unsheathed. It didn't take long before the carriage began moving again, painfully slow this time.

Hermione, her curiosity getting the better of her, attempted to poke her head out the window to see the two _mystery men_. Who ever they were, it took courage to try and disturb soldiers with the KingValley crest engraved onto their shields, and the unique green and silver banner flapping limply in the dying wind.

Hermione felt a firm hand grab her shoulders and jerk her roughly back into the carriage before dropping the contact as if it had been burned.

"Do you have a death wish! Or do you clearly not understand the meaning of 'curiosity killed the cat'?"

Hermione snorted, "The _cat _happens to have nine lives." Completely disregarding the Duke's warning, she stuck her head out even further, if not just to infuriate him further.

Two lone figures in white cloaks with cowels darkening their features, and concealing their eyes, stood by silently on their horses as they regarded the passing Company in silence. One figure was visibly taller than the other, but both were too thin and too frail to pass for men. No crest or banner was visible on them, or on their horses. Hermione could feel their eyes regarding her with interest before a shrilled voice filled the air.

"_Hermione!_"

Her heart stopped pumping blood for a split second before recognition filled her eyes. The cloaked figures waved at her frantically, almost unseating themselves in the process.

"Stop!" Hermione cried as she grabbed the Duke's arm and shook it violently.

Wrenching himself from her grasp, the Duke sneered, "Are you mad woman? Who are you to give _ME_ orders!"

"NO! You don't understand! We have to stop! It's –"

"Silence!" the Duke hissed, his voice dangerously low, "Or I will be forced to –" Before he could finish his threat, Hannah's voice boomed out from behind them.

"The Countess of Gryffindor requests stop immediately!"

Hermione hardly had enough time to gloat as the Duke rubbed his temples and ordered in a firm but loud voice, "Halt!"

Before even waiting for the carriage to come to a complete stop, he barged out the door in anger. Hermione waved urgently at Susan to come and help her as both girls stepped from the carriage with Hermione leaning on Susan's shoulders.

Not forgetting her duties, Hermione limped to the second carriage as fast as she can, but was filled with a slight disappointment when she realized Lady Ginny along with Hannah had already helped the Countess down to the ground.

The cloaked figures slid down from their horses before running towards the Countess with a slight skip in their strides. With out need of a voiced order, skilled archers strung their arrows and aimed, as sharpened swords pointed menacingly in the direction of the approaching figures.

"I don't think you'd want to do that," a soft voice chuckled as a pale, delicate hand reached up to remove the hood, revealing dark black hair and coal black eyes, "Or else someone is going to have to explain my death to father."

"Drop your weapons," came the firm order from an irritated voice as the Company men fell to their knees before Princess Lavender.

The Duke took long strides and grabbed Lavender's elbow in anger, "What are you doing you foolish _girl_! You of all people should not be here!" he hiss, his rage evident.

"Aw," the young girl pouted, "You don't seem so happy to see me Uncle Severus,"

"Damn right I'm not!" He towed the Princess roughly behind him, ready to throw her into one of the carriages, "the King must be furious, you inconsiderate little girl!" The Princess only giggled and removed herself from his grip, without a backwards glance, she ran towards the second carriage.

Duke Severus Snape watched in absolute disgust as the six young women hugged each other tightly and squealed – with the exception of Hermione – who did not like squealing as much. Even the Countess was slightly surprised at the public display of childish behavior. It seemed that for a split second, they had all forgotten about their difference in status and their current location.

It took a loud cough from McGonagall before they quickly untangled themselves and separated long enough to talk.

"Lav! Terry! We haven't seen you guys since forever!" Lady Ginny couldn't help but give out another loud squeal as she impulsively leaned in and enveloped the two grinning girls in a tight hug.

"That's **_enough_**!" The Duke shouted furiously, "Get back to your carriages immediately! All of you!"

"Awww!" Lavender placed her hands on her hips, "But Uncle Severus! You're no fun!"

"Tell me something I do _not_ know!" he growled back tensely.

Lavender sighed. Squaring her shoulders, she held her head up high and began giving orders, "Everyone back into their carriages. Terry, you will ride with the Countess, and I will ride with Lord Severus. We have important issues to discuss Uncle."

Every gaped at her in awe as she turned without another word and walked towards the first carriage. Lavender had the strange ability to change from a teenage girl into Royalty in a matter of seconds, depending on what the occasion required. Without another word, everyone silently obeyed her orders. The Countess hid a small smile behind her hand when she noticed the glowering scowl that Severus was currently inducing at the oblivious girl. He obviously did not appreciate that his orders were ignored while hers were obeyed without complaint.

Despite his current mood, he was interested in what she had to say and grudgingly followed her into the first carriage. Instead, he took _immense_ pleasure in slamming the door in Hermione's face.

**A/n: **DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNN! Hehehehe…anyways…see? It didn't take THAT long before I posted again…(sort of…) (shifts eyes nervously)

_**E/N:** **SEX!**_

_Great! Now that I have everyones attention… I was just wondering if it was just me (us), or does not allow the use of asterisks in the stories.. or anywhere else for that matter…._

_Asterisk: the thing you get when you press Shift+8…. you knooowww the starry thing? Well if any of you know if its possible, could you tell us in a review? Is there a special code, or is it just not allowed? Well thanks again for reading. _

_And that little button down there is just itching for you to press it. (Please I beg you.. the author is having some psychotic hormonal difficulties, and is taking it all out on me…_and_ im all out of cookies ) (tear)_

Ummm….yesssss…..annyyywayyyss...here are just some replies to some

lovely reviewers!

**Misshay:**

You are soooo nice! Eeeeekkk! I love you! I went to your profile, 'because I

just had to see who this nice person was! And anyways, I LOVE INUYASHA!

Well…personally, I like his brother Sesshoumaru

more..dark..handsome..eeeekkk! Now you can see why I like Snape so

much…sigh..dark guys are sooooo dreamy…

_(**E/N**: mee too mee too! yay Sesshomaru! God I sound like his annoying little green friend urgh.)_

**Slytherinstargazing:**

Hehehehhehhehe…I must say your review completely threw me off at first. On

ur first word too..when you wrote "rejoyces"..and you're probably confused

as to why. Let me introduce myself...

Hi! my name is Joyce..LOL..get it?

Joyce...rejoyce..Joyce..rejoyce..(editor glares at author) OKAY OKAY

I'LL SHUT UP.. geeezz..

**TragicFantasy:**

MUAH MUAH MUAH MUAH (slobbers reviewer with big fat wet kisses)

_**(E/N**: ewwww Joyce! Get off the computer screen!)_

**LegyLoloo:**

ME TOO! I LOVE OLD TIMES STORIES! It was because I didn't see that

many that I decided to write this story!

_**(E/N:** heyyy.. does your name have anything to do with legolas greenleaf? )_

**Kendercurrent:**

..you have a sevvie nose..you..have..a..sevvie..nose..WWAAAHHH!

NEEMMOO! WHY DON'T I HAVE A SEVVIE NOSE! THIS IS SOOO NOT FAIR!

**Andy Kim:**

ANDY KIM! I AM TRYING TO KEEP MY IDENTITY A SECRET! PLEASE DO NOT

BLUBBER MY NAME OUT IN A REVIEW!

_**(E/N**:...umm..you already told your name to everybody earlier……….dunce) _

…Oh…umm…oh..hehe..uhhhhhh…

**Sweetsyphn:**

Awwwww! Awwwwww! AAWWWWWWWW!

AAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

_**(E/N**: OKAY OKAY WE GET THE POINT GEEZZZ!)_

**Arden Rose:**

Yay! I'm on someone's favorite authors list! Oh ya! Oh ya! Uh huhh!

That's right! HEY WAIT A FRIKKEN MINUTE! NEMO! I JUST WENT ON YOUR

PROFILE…PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THE HELL AM I NOT ON YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS LIST! HUH! HUH! HUH?

_**E/N**: …(sweatdrop)…..well... heh about that... _

_Gomendasaii (sp?) -- thats japanese for_

_im-reaaaaly-reallly-sorry-i-dont-know-what-i-was-thinking-i-must-have-been-high-on-something!_

**Xhara:**

Thank you sooo much for your review! See people! If you have a

complaint…write it nicely like Xhara! Anyways…I know what you mean about

over long chapters…I don't like writing them either….it' just that a while

ago I got a review from someone saying that my chapters are so short and

it's annoying her….so…..I decided to just make them longer a bit…but I

suppose I could stop that now…personally….i can't stand reading long

chapters either…thank you so much for your review!

**Roque Almighty:**

Wow…your review sounded so mature…wow…thanks!

_**(E/N**: ya..that's a lot more than you can say for yourself) _

SHUT UP NEMO! NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR OPINION!

_**(E/N**: ... ouch, touchy touchy)_

Anyways..sorry..don't have time to reply to everybody's review..write a

flamer and I can guarantee you'll have a reply... one that will probably

result in you crying... -- UNLESS OFCOURSE YOU DON'T EVEN LEAVE ME A REVIEW!

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

_**E/N:** (bangs head on desk repeatedly and sighs)... here we go again…_


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